Operation: FINISH
by geninkitty
Summary: 5 years after INTERVIEWS, a final war between Father and the KND is underway. An old ally is out there somewhere, and his old teammates are on the run searching for him. Will the KND aided by this ally and the forming TND stop Father? Full summary inside
1. Prologue & Author's Note

FULL SUMMARY:

It's been five years since the events in Operation I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S. , and things are not looking good for the Kids Next Door. Their Supreme Leader, Numbuh 5, has been decommissioned, and no one is ready to take her place. What's worse, Father and The Steve, aided by the Teen Ninjas, know the KND are at a weak state and taking advantage of the situation. They've declared war on the KND, who are in no condition to fight.

An old ally comes to their rescue, recruiting old operatives into the newly founded Teens Next Door by recommissioning them. She's gathered some of the most brilliant minds the KND have ever had, including their last Supreme Leader and her old sector. However, there is still one ally they can't win the war without, one no one has seen in years. With Sector V sent out to find him, and Father's army approaching steadily, will they find him in time? Or will this truly be the end of the Kids Next Door?

**This is sort of half author's note, half prologue to the story. I need to clear a few things up for you guys before you start reading.  
**

- **All the chapters are in 3rd person POV, limited to Sector V.**

**- I realized there is already a fan fic out there with a similar theme (see Operation: ALLIES and Operation: WAR if you're interested). However, my story is the TND against Father and the Teen Ninjas. Kids unrelated to the KND/TND (with some minor exceptions) are not included in the war.**

**- This story, if you haven't already noticed by the extremely short summary, is 5 years after Operation I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S. If you haven't watched that yet, I suggest you do, because this fic contains spoilers for the movie.**

**- Because this is 5 years in the future, consider anyone in the KND during the length of the show at age 15 and 16.**

**- I've included some of my OC's (original characters) into the story, which of course never appeared in the show. They will be introduced and formally explained in later chapters.**

**- I warn you now, I've never written a battle/war scene in my entire life. So I apologize in advance if any of them are cruddy. **

**- The cover page for this story can be found on my account at . Search for Genincat, you'll find it (let me know if you have any troubles though, I'll help you out). I will also be drawing a pic of a scene from each chapter, again search for Genincat. **

**- The prologue below is actually a snippet of a future scene in the story. I guess you can compare it to what Stephanie Meyer does in her Twilight stories (just to clarify, not a fan). **

**- Side note: I'm currently working on 3 other fics at the moment: Phineas' Other Family (POF) and Say Hello To The Newest Flynn (SHTTNF) are Phineas and Ferb-related. KND Chat Addicts is KND-related. So I'm sorry if either this story or any of the others doesn't get as updated as you'd like it to be. But I'm swamped, since POF and SHTTNF are both nowhere near done, and KND Chat Addicts is on-going and is updated as I come up with ideas.**

**So, on with the prologue! Sorry, it's kinda short.**

* * *

There is a hallway, lined with solid concrete and asphalt. No light seems to come in, or some out, of this hallway. A breeze whistles by from an unknown direction, almost as if it is coming from all different directions at once. The ceiling leaks an oozy liquid, which gathers in puddles on the hard, cold floor. If someone was to stand in the middle of this hallway, it would be the only sound they could hear, the liquid drip, drip, dripping on the concrete below.

That is, until a large creak abruptly breaks the silence. A light suddenly fills the hallway, so blinding, and so bright it's almost white in color. That someone in the hallway would have also heard footsteps, both heavy and light. And a very light noise; the only thing that could correctly describe it would be chains clanging against each other.

And suddenly, voices ring through the hallway.

"Alright, move it along!"

"Father doesn't have all day to wait for you worthless operatives!"

"I oughtta give you a piece 'a my mind, "worthless", pfft!"

"Shut it, kid!"

"Do you WANT them to make this any worse, Numbuh 4?!" This one, more of a hushed whisper.

Figures emerge now out of the blinding light. Two are very tall, bulky males, standing behind the others, almost leading them like they were sheepdogs. Their 'sheep' were much smaller than them; two also male, the other two, female. These four were connected at the wrists with handcuffs, which intertwined them all together. They walked with their heads down, hair and hats covering their faces. One would find it nearly impossible to recognize who these four were, in the lighting of the hallway.

One sheepdog grabbed the four's shackles, skidding them to a stop. The other sheepdog walks to the front of them, and shines what appears to be a flashlight into their faces. They each in turn spin their heads around, away from the blinding light. He grabs one by the collar of its shirt, and yells into his face. The others, ignoring the light and the danger to their eyes, turn their heads back to look at the boy being scolded.

And in this dim, dreary hallway, lighted only by the single flashlight in the sheepdog's hand, the fearful, scarred faces of Abigail Lincoln, Hoagie Gilligan, Wallabee Beatles, and Kuki Sanban become visible.


	2. Chapter 1

Now Loading:

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.

Finding

Indecisive

Nigel

Is

Sure

Hard

**Cover Page: **http:// .com/art/Operation-F-I-N-I-S-H-Cover-161982749 (without the space between // and genincat) This cover shows both what Numbuhs 2-5 look like as teenagers, as well as what Numbuh 539 looks like (ast this age).

**This entire story was inspired by a certain Journey song, called "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)". If you happen to listen to it while reading this story, you'll notice the story line fits in pretty well with the song.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.**

Chapter 1

_Flashback, 5 Weeks Ago_

Numbuh 539 was nervous. Not butterflies-in-your-stomach, regular everyday nervous. More like this-whole-organization-is-in-my-hands-and-we-might-just-lose nervous.

She, of all people, was both the one who was supposed to be the strongest of them all and never get worried, yet at the same time the one expected to be worried the most.

Numbuh 539 was standing on the main deck of the Global Kids Next Door Moon Base, staring out the full pane window into deep nothingness. No one else was on the deck, just her, talking to herself.

"Common, Hantell," she muttered, shifting her gaze down at the contraption in her hands. "It's not like you haven't done this before. Heck, you've done this hundreds of times. They'll find them, you know they will, and you have to be ready!"

What she held in her hands looked like a simple box of wood, with a hand crank sticking out the side of it. But the power it held was far beyond what anyone could believe, what anyone could begin to understand. This simple machine, by a not-so-simple name, could do wonders for the race of children on Earth, the races of children all over the galaxy.

This machine was called The Recommissioning Module. And with it, Numbuh 539 had the power to bring back any Kids Next Door operative's memory. With it, she could stop the horrible menace bent on destroying the childhood race. With it, she could become a hero, a savior.

Yet she had doubts if she could even use this machine anymore, for two reasons. One, because she didn't consider her a hero at all, not for one second. She was simply doing her duty as a Kids Next Door former operative, her duty as a kid.

Her second reason, because once she was faced with these final former operatives to recommission, she might get a bit thrown off emotionally.

Suddenly, a kid in battle armor, who looked about fourteen years old, ran to her shouting at the top of his lungs. The kid tripped over his untied shoelaces and fell face first onto the deck of the ship. Numbuh 539 turned to face the boy, who scrambled to his feet and quickly saluted her.

"Numbuh 539, sir!" he exclaimed, his helmet slightly askew.

"At ease," she replied, and the boy dropped his hand. "Status report."

"Sir! Sector F-J has located the allies and are now bringing them to the main deck, sir!" the boy announced.

She simply nodded. "Let them in."

"Yes sir!" The boy saluted once again, then ran off.

This was exactly the kind of thing she was thinking about. She hated being saluted to, being called "sir" or "ma'am", being given any type of special treatment. It was the only reason she regretted being the creator of the Teens Next Door. She would have preferred anyone, anyone in kid race, to be leader besides her. She shook her head; she knew no one would have been ready anyways. And it was unanimous throughout both the Kids and Teens Next Door organizations: she, Numbuh 539, was the only one in the world who could do it, and do it right.

The boy returned a moment later, again interrupting her thoughts. He stood at one side to let the others through: F-Numbuh 1-Love, F-Numbuh 20-Love, and the allies they had found.

Despite the fact they were on the Moon Base, the most phenomenal kid-made tree house in the entire universe, the allies looked more or less completely uninterested. One girl was texting on her cell phone and had headphones on her head over a large red hat, the music up so high the others could have sung along if they wanted to. Which was exactly what the boy walking next to her was doing. Off-key and sounding like a hurt cat, but nevertheless singing along.

The other boy was playing with the wheels on his skateboard, not even paying attention to where he was walking, only avoiding walls narrowly thanks to 1-Love and 20-Love. The last girl was also not paying attention to where she was walking, rather examining her nails and laughing loudly into a cell phone. The wire from a pair of ear buds could barely be seen through her long hair. How she could talk on her phone and listen to music at the same time, only teenagers could know.

The six of them came to a stop in front of Numbuh 539.

Both F-Numbuhs 1-Love and 20-Love saluted her just as the other boy had, 1-Love announcing, "Sir! The allies you have requested!"

"At ease. Thank you, you may go." The two left the main deck. "At ease" was a constant line all KND and TND operatives heard after saluting her. Though she often told everyone she preferred not to be saluted, it was a tradition since the KND had first started, and kid traditions are often harder to break than to keep.

She looked over the allies in front of her, and as she predicted, she was completely thrown off, though she had been preparing for their arrival emotionally for some time now. She couldn't believe that one of the best KND sectors in history was here in front of her, reduced to teenager-hood.

She sucked in a deep breath, then said, "Uh, hey guys?" to get their attention. None of them stopped their activities, almost as if they hadn't heard her in the first place.

She had truly hoped she could get though to them normally, but obviously it wasn't going to work. This meant she had only one other option, the one she always hated using. In her finely tuned teenager language, she said, "Yo, dudes. Can I like, talk to ya for a sec?"

The allies perked up, and stopped everything. The girls shut off their music and hung up their cell phones, the boy stopped screeching, and the last boy leaned against his skateboard. They all nodded in unison.

"Killer. So listen, I've got this totally awesome soda machine here," she said, motioning to the Recommissioning Module in her hands, "and it needs some testing. It's supposed to, like, shoot a soda can like 5 feet in the air, straight to your hand. So could you dudes stand over on that x over there, and you'll all get free sodas."

Muttering sounds of agreement, they all walked over to the large red x on the floor. Numbuh 362 smiled to herself. It was one of the biggest advantages of being a KND Spy for so many years: you learned how to blend in, learned to speak the enemy's language. And the soda machine lie was also something she had picked up from her enemies, that two of the things they loved were soda and dramatic stunts. She had used the same trick time and again, for almost every single ally she had recommissioned.

With her targets in their spots, she pointed the Recommissioning Module at the teenagers, then told them, "Okay dudes, just stand still, and you'll get your soda." With her free hand, she turned the crank slowly. The module played a melody, one anyone in the world could recognize. As a blue beam shot out of the front of the module, the skateboard boy yelled, "It better be orange!" She simply rolled her eyes at his stupid comment, and silently cursed the day the idea of teenager-hood was created.

The allies were quickly hit with the blue beam, and they all instantly yelled at the pain, pain that could never be avoided, no matter how many times you'd been recommissioned. The blast, as it normally did, threw Numbuh 539 off balance, but this particular time, it threw her into the nearest wall with a huge crash. She shielded her eyes from the blinding light, and only when the yelling had finally subsided did she look over to see the allies.

The four of them stood at attention, slightly dizzy looking and confused. They looked around at both one another and at themselves, and also at their surroundings. Confused comments followed not a moment later:

"Whoa…you guys seein' what Numbuh 5's seein'?"

"W-why are you so _tall_?!?"

"Why do _you_ look so short all of a sudden?!"

"WHAT THE CRUD IS GOING ON HERE!?!"

Staggering to her feet and wiping dust off her jeans, Numbuh 539 approached them and said, "I can probably help you guys on that last one."

They turned to face the seemingly new arrival, looks of shock on their faces. They suddenly turned to complete hatred, and they all quickly reached for guns and 2x4 technology they didn't have. One boy yelled, "Hey, where the crud's mah M.U.S.K.E.T.!?"

The girl with the red hat exclaimed, "Ah, forget the weapons! Kids Next Door, atta-!"

"NO!!!" Numbuh 539 yelled, "I'M ONE OF YOU!!!"

"Yeah, like we haven't heard _that_ one before!" sneered a boy, "Like a teenager would be one of _us_!"

She relaxed slightly and smiled. "If you haven't already noticed, you're teenagers yourselves. So don't go judging _me_."

They glanced at each other and nodded. Three of them relaxed a bit, while the girl with the hat stepped forward, and Numbuh 539 could tell her guard was still up.

"Alright, look. If you _are _one of us, we're gonna need some proof," she said, eyes hidden by the rim of her hat.

Numbuh 539 nodded. "Okay, I'm cool with that. What kind of proof are ya looking for?"

"How 'bout I ask you a few questions, ones only a true KND operative woulda known."

"Fine. Shoot," she agreed, shrugging.

"Who started the 7th Age of the Kids Next Door?" the girl demanded.

"Numbuh 0 himself. He found the Book of KND, overpowered Grandfather, and freed kids from a tapioca factory."

A boy shouted across the room, "Ay, Numbuh 5! Ask her somethin' harder!"

"Alright then. Who can call a tag game, an operative or a cadet?"

Numbuh 539 smirked. "Trick question. Only a Supreme Leader can call a tag game. Cadets are too young, operatives too low in power."

"HARDER! Anyone could know that, Abby!" the other boy yelled.

"Who's the current Supreme Leader?!" the girl said, almost yelling it.

"No one."

"Ha! Gotcha! _I'm_ the Supreme Leader, teenager!" she sneered, and the allies behind her got into fighting stances.

Numbuh 539 simply shook her head no. "_Used_ to be Supreme Leader. The Kids Next Door hasn't had a Supreme Leader for years, not since your decommissioning."

"But she's not decommissioned!" yelled the other girl. "Only active operatives could know all that stuff!"

She shook her head again. "You _were_ decommissioned, all of you. I just recommissioned you all. See?" She held up the Recommissioning Module to show them all. The girl in front of her snatched it quickly from her.

"What are you doing with that?! That's not some stupid teenager music player or something, idiot! And you can forget about recruiting us to the Teen Ninjas, 'cuz we ain't joining!"

"Ugh, you don't get it, do you? I'm NOT with the Teen Ninjas! I'm running the show AGAINST them!" she was started to lose her temper, which was a rare occasion. Most ex-operatives trusted her more easily than they were, though these four had a better reason than others to mistrust her in the first place. "What do I have to do to prove I'm-''She suddenly stopped when her eyes wandered to the girl's pinky finger, and what was on it. Her eyes, as though they had a mind of their own, started to water.

"Oh, so now you're gonna cry?! Geeze, Father will hire anybody, won't he?" one boy said, elbowing another. They both started giggling.

She shook her head in frustration, getting rid of most of her tears in the process. "No…I just realized…I know how to make you believe I'm one of you. Look here…" She stuck her right hand out to the girl looking at her confusedly.

The girl glanced down at her hand, back up to her face, finally shaking her head and saying, "She's telling the truth, guys. It's cool, you can come over." The girl began to smile.

The others, as confused as she had looked originally, came to stand behind her, also peering down at Numbuh 539's hand. Two of them nodded understandingly. The last one, the boy who told the joke about Father, had the same confused expression on his face as before.

"Good to see you again, Lexi," the girl with the hat said, taking Numbuh 539's hand and giving it a quick shake.

She smiled. "You too, Abby." She saluted with her other hand. "Or should I say, 'Former Supreme Leader Numbuh 5, sir'?"

Numbuh 5 smiled back. "Nah, Numbuh 5's sick of the formalities. Just Numbuh 5."

"Okay, seriously, WHAT THE CRUD IS GOING ON HERE?!" the boy with the confused expression yelled. They all stared at him, surprised he didn't get it.

"Don't you remember the KND Ring, Numbuh 4?" Numbuh 5 asked him.

He just raised an eyebrow at her. "What ring? All I see on her hand is some girly hair tie on her finger!"

The other girl standing next to him grabbed his hand. "It's not just a hair tie, Wally! And it's not girly! You have one too, see?" On his finger was also a similar hair tie.

"Well, somebody probably just put it there! Probably _you_, Kuki, just to annoy me!" he countered.

"It's not just a hair tie. It's a system Numbuh 5 created, when she became Supreme Leader, remember?" Numbuh 5 said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I don't remember no cruddy system," he insisted, turning his head in frustration.

The remaining boy sighed. "Mine as well just tell him all over again, Abby. He's Numbuh 4, nothing you can do about it." He knocked on Numbuh 4's head, who grabbed wildly in the air for the other boy's glasses. "See, hollow!"

Numbuh 5 rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'll explain it again, for your sake. The KND Ring is a simple hair tie or rubber band that you twist a certain way to get a special design. There are two main designs to them. The first," she paused to point to his hand, "is for regular operatives. The second," she paused once again to hold at her own hand, as well as point to Numbuh 539's hand, "is for sector leaders and other top operatives. It makes identifying each other easier, plus each has a small locator built in, where the piece of string is connected. Like the wax, or the little brass piece. That way, teenagers and adults can't just stick a rubber band on their finger and get away with it."

Numbuh 4 stared down at his finger. "I _think_ I remember. But that doesn't explain why she was crying!" he suddenly accused.

Numbuh 539 smiled. "I was crying because I hadn't seen you guys in so long, and I was amazed you still had your Rings, even after your decommissionings. I thought for sure you woulda thrown it out by now. Plus, the teenage versions of you are so odd."

"Heh, I can imagine." Numbuh 5 smiled.

"But now _I'm_ confused," Numbuh 3 cut in. "I get that you're an operative, but your numbuh isn't all that familiar."

"I wouldn't expect you guys to remember me all that easily anyways. I mostly talked with Numbuh 5, leader business stuff, ya know?" She paused a moment to think, then added, "But you probably remember my little sister. Does the numbuh 77 ring a bell?"

They all nodded. "Yeah, she's in Leo's sector, right?" Numbuh 2 added.

Numbuh 539 nodded. "Technically the other way around, she's their sector leader, but yeah. I've been with the KND Spies for awhile; I haven't really seen you guys too often since your cadet graduations. Come to think of it, I haven't been to anybody's actual tree house since Allai graduated…" she trailed off.

"Uh, sorry to cut off your memory lane trip Lexi, but we're kinda at a disadvantage here. We only found out like a second ago we're _re_commissioned, so obviously we're missing something here." Numbuh 5 tipped her hat absentmindedly. "Can you explain?"

**So, the story has officially started. Numbuh 539 has been briefly introduced (more explained in the coming chapters) and Numbuhs 2-5 have their memories back. But the question is, just what is going on for them to be recommissioned in the first place?**

**Later I'm going to post something related to the KND Ring, I'll let you know when it's up. Explains it a lot better.**

**You might have noticed I typed "F-Numbuh" instead of just "Numbuh". This isn't a typo. It will be explained in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 2

Now Loading:

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.

Finding

Indecisive

Nigel

Is

Sure

Hard

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.**

Chapter 2

"Alright, but you guys are probably gonna wanna sit down, it's a lot to take in at once," Numbuh 539 said, and they all sat together in a corner of the main deck. Since there wasn't many chairs, they all opted to just sit on the floor.

When they were all somewhat comfortable, she asked, "So…where should I start?"

The others shrugged. "I guess when we got decommissioned," Numbuh 5 said.

Numbuh 539 nodded. "Well, I wasn't actually there for the actual decommissionings. On pretty much each of your 13th birthdays, some villain in one part of the world or another just _had_ to be doing something that threatened kid kind, and since I wasn't exactly the leader yet, I just had to be the one they sent out. I tried to change their minds, but they wouldn't have any of it. Numbuh 5's was the only one they let me stay for, since she was Supreme Leader and all…" She glanced over at Numbuh 5, who looked a little uncomfortable about this.

"But they designated me and a few other spies to take you guys home after the decommissionings, so I at least got to see you guys, say goodbye even if you didn't understand who I was. I woulda preferred saying goodbye properly, but, you know, work with what ya got…"

"Well, after Numbuh 5's decommissioning, a lot of operatives freaked out. You hadn't exactly called a tag game beforehand, so no one knew what to do. Not like with Rachel, she tagged you right before they sent her in, so there was no denying you were right for the job." She paused to smile at her, who was also smiling, most likely at the memory of realizing she was the new Supreme Leader. "No one knew what to do, since only the Supreme Leader could call a tag game, and there was none. And no one could convince you afterwards to tag someone, to get a game going, so we were at a loss. No one wanted to break tradition and have a regular operative to call a game, except Numbuh 86; she wanted the position all to herself, and she was willing to go against our ways to do so. Everyone disagreed, but no one could come up with a better solution."

Numbuh 3 gasped. "You don't mean…_Fanny's _Supreme Leader?!?"

Numbuh 539 shook her head. "No, thank God, she was decommissioned before anyone could agree with her plan. But some of us wonder if it might have been a good idea to just make her leader, even if it was only for a few months, to at least have someone with the job, someone who could start a tag game. But no one agreed, no game was called, and no one got the job." She sighed. "We've been dealing with this problem for two and a half years now. The Kids Next Door still has no Supreme Leader, and the organization is weak without one.

"Speaking of Fanny…" she trailed off, and a moment later they heard the clank of a door opening and closing. In stormed a 14 year old girl with frizzy orange hair and a colander attached to a belt around her waist.

"Numbuh 539, sir!" She saluted her, who stood up and walked over to her.

"At ease. What is it now, I'm kinda in the middle of something here," she said, jerking her head over to the others.

"Sorry sir, just wanted to inform you that Quadrant VI has no intruders, but we're not too sure about Quadrant III, someone swore they saw tracks in the dirt. Do we have permission to check it out?" the girl said in a rush.

Numbuh 539 held her head like she had a headache. "Yeah, yeah, just…send Sector F-H to do it, F-Numbuh 86. Did you check the hospital wing count?"

The girl nodded. "30 f-operatives, 2 spies."

"Crud, that's 5 more than yesterday. Tell F-H to be careful out there, we need as many able-bodied fighters as we can manage."

The girl saluted once more, then ran out of the room. The same clank was heard when the door slammed.

Numbuh 539 sat back down. "Sorry about that, guys."

"That girl looked a lot like Fanny. Are they related or something?" Numbuh 4 asked. The rest of them just stared at him.

"Ugh, that WAS Fanny, dude," Numbuh 2 told him, the rest of them nodding.

"Nuh uh! Lexi said "F-Numbuh 86", but Fanny's numbuh was just 86!" Numbuh 4 countered, looking to Numbuh 539 for support.

"Yeah, I noticed that too. What's with the 'f'?" Numbuh 5 asked.

"The 'f' stands for former. We weren't sure if anyone's numbuhs would be used again in the KND, since there are only so many numbers kids can count to. So when I recommission someone, I stick the 'f' before the 'numbuh' so we don't get confused," she told them. "The same thing goes for sectors. For example, I sent Sector F-J to find you guys, which just means I sent out the former Sector J from Jamaica."

"So does that mean I'd be F-Numbuh 3?" Numbuh 3 asked. Numbuh 539 nodded.

Numbuh 2 had his chance to be confused. "But wait a minute; wouldn't that make you F-Numbuh 539?"

"Technically no, since I was never decommissioned in the first place. But it someone else does take my numbuh, I'll add the 'f', for everyone else's sake."

"You know," she said, smirking, "I don't even remember where I was in the story anymore. I think this job's messin' with my memory."

"I think you were at the part where the KND has no Supreme Leader," Numbuh 2 pointed out.

"Oh, okay, I remember now. Well, without a Supreme Leader the KND is weaker than it's ever been, and Father picked up on it a few months ago."

"Wait, Father's still around? Isn't he like a bajillion years old by now?" Numbuh 4 interrupted, scratching his head in confusion.

"Well, not _that_ old, but yeah, we thought we'd seen the last of him years ago. We're also confused why it would take him so long to notice the KND was leaderless. But I'm getting sidetracked. Anyways, Father is as powerful as he ever was, even more so after he and The Steve made a treaty with one another. See, The Steve refused to let Father use a good chunk of his fighters because he knew Father was just using him, and would overpower him eventually. So Father agreed that in return for getting to use all of the fighters, the teens would get unlimited soda from his Ice Cream Men henchmen. Turns out they got sick of the brain freezes, and switched to soda.

"But now that Father has total control, he's been attacking here," she gestured to the Moon Base, "and all the other tree houses on Earth, trying to weaken them even more. Without anyone running the show, the organization had no plan to counterattack. Most of them fled to whatever place wasn't occupied by Father's troops.

"We Spies were getting sick of running, and we wanted to put an end to it, before the KND ceased to exist. So I created the Teens Next Door, as a defense organization against Father. We've been searching for decommissioned operatives all over the world, brought them here, and recommissioned them with the module. And after explaining the whole situation, like I am with you guys now, they wanted to do whatever they could to help, and we sent them out to fight. You guys are actually the last sector from the 7th Age we found."

"So…we're the last ones?" Numbuh 3 asked sadly.

"I'm afraid so. We wanted to expand to the other ages, but most were much too old, and wouldn't be able to fight anyways. We mostly recruited our own generation of kids, so everyone in the TND are, in fact, teenagers. No adults whatsoever, we knew they couldn't help us, especially after we found out about the virus…

Numbuh 539 sighed. "You guys can already see it; I'm succumbing to the disease myself." She looked down at herself; she was much taller than she was when she was a regular Spy, her hair had grown longer, and most of her disguises didn't fit anymore. "I don't have much time, and I expect this final battle will probably be my last," she said sadly.

Everyone looked down at their feet, both mourning over what would soon happen to her, and those who had already gone through with the horrible disease.

Numbuh 2 jerked his head up suddenly. "Wait, you said 'final battle'? What's that?"

The others looked up as well. "Father formally called war on us last week, though we considered these last few months war time anyways. Based on reports from the other Spies, we've concluded that Father is planning to completely obliterate the Moon Base with some device he's created, but wants to send in Teen Ninjas first to get tech schematics and some followers, if he can find any. It's our last chance to stop him. We were rushing to find you guys the last few days after we found out his plan; we wanted to find as many past operatives as we could, and you guys were the only one of the age not recommissioned yet. Although, it wasn't exactly the easiest task."

The others nodded understandingly. Everyone had been scattered throughout the world; Kuki and Wally in Japan and Australia (respectively) and Abby and Hoagie in France and the states (also respectively).

"Hold up a minute, you keep talking like the 7th Age doesn't exist anymore. Why?" Numbuh 5 suddenly asked.

Numbuh 539 shrugged. "After you left and the chaos of the Supreme Leader problem, the other high rank officials and I decided the 7th Age wasn't being continued without a leader, so we declared it over. Since we're in war time, we're calling it War Time Age II. The first one was back during Numbuh Zero's fight against Grandfather. If we win this war, and if we ever get a new Supreme Leader, we'll start up with the 8th Age."

They all sat in silence for a moment, not really sure what to say next. Numbuh 539 seemed to be holding something back, and Numbuh 3 noticed this.

"Is there…something else? Something you're not telling us?" she asked timidly.

Numbuh 539 smiled a bit. "More observant now, are we?" Her face fell again. "Yeah, actually there is. There's a different reason we wanted to get you guys right now. We're kinda…missing someone. Someone we've been searching for pretty much this whole time, and we figured you guys might know where he is. The rest of us are completely stumped.

"What I'm trying to say is…do any of you have any clue where Nigel Uno is?"


	4. Chapter 3

Now Loading:

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.

Finding

Indecisive

Nigel

Is

Sure

Hard

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.**

Chapter 3

The four of them looked at each other, then turned their heads away in unison when their eyes met. Numbuh 539 could see tears in both Kuki and Wally's eyes.

The moment of silence was maddening, and she felt compelled to break it. But when she opened her mouth to speak, Numbuh 5 cut her off. She was the only one to face back to Lexi; the others did not turn their heads.

"He's…with the Galactic Kids Next Door," she said simply.

Numbuh 539 had the strangest look on her face, what could only be described as amazement and confusion combined.

"You mean…the GKND is _real_?!?"

The others, surprised at her outburst, finally turned to her, all nodding. They looked as confused as she did.

"But we thought…we thought it was just a rumor, like the Splinter Cell! That's what Numbuh 362 told us, all of us; that it was only a myth, just another name the Splinter Cell went by!" She seemed almost frantic at the thought of it being real.

"The Splinter Cell _is_ a rumor," Numbuh 5 said, "just a rumor to cover up the GKND. Though I'm not surprised they're getting mixed together, especially when only a few know about the latter." She paused a moment. "I'm pretty sure Rachel just said all that after she found out the truth."

"Which is…?" Lexi trailed off, waiting for an answer.

Numbuh 5 looked at the others, like they again were having a silent conversation with her. They shrugged at her.

"Why don't you tell us what you've heard?" Numbuh 2 suggested.

"Alright, makes sense. Excluding what Rachel told us, all we know is the GKND is a group of Kids Next Door operatives sent to other planets to destroy the adult virus, which includes destroying all the adults on said planets, and anyone who seems to have caught the virus, like me and some of the other Spies. We think they're leader is Numbuh Infinity. And that's pretty much it."

Numbuh 5 smirked. "Well, you got most of it right. But as far as we know, they aren't planning on destroying already-made adults altogether, or anyone who's caught the virus. Just the virus itself. And Infinity _is_ their leader, though Numbuh 74.239 seems to be up in his ranks, too."

"Then I see where the Splinter Cell got mixed in there. So, I'm guessing none of you have seen any of them in awhile." The last part was more of a statement than a question. The others nodded, still with sad looks on their faces.

"We haven't seen or heard from any of them since we were 10. They could all be in Canada right now; have you checked there?" Numbuh 4 asked, still in the mindset that the GKND was in Canada and not outer space.

"Uh…yeah, we checked there." Numbuh 539 didn't get the Canada-Deep Space reference he was making. "We figured he had to be in space still, so we sent a few scientists out to find them. But so far, no luck. At the moment, we've got 5 operatives out looking for Infinity and Rachel, but we're planning on calling off the search to have them back in time for the battle."

Numbuh 2 looked confusedly at her. "But, if you're looking for…Nigel…specifically, then why would you waste your time looking for Infinity or Rachel?" He said Numbuh 1's name painfully, bringing back up old memories that hurt them all.

Lexi picked up on this, so she tried to avoid using his name. "We're looking for anyone who might have any leads to where he is now, and we figured Infinity's his leader now, and Rachel knows all about the GKND, heck, we even sent out an operative to look for her brother Harvey, since he'd know where his sister is. But no matter where we looked, we couldn't find any of them." She counted off a few operatives on her fingers. "Infinity, Rachel, Harvey, 74.239, the other scientists, 9, Chad, everyone we could think of who had some connection with him. You guys were the last ones on the list. Everyone else seemed to be wiped off the face of the Earth, practically." She frowned sympathetically at Numbuh 5. "You're not gonna love hearing this, but we even looked for Cree. Unfortunately, we think she was already taken over by the virus, so she was no help to us."

Numbuh 5 shook her head. "Don't matter to me anymore. I've known for months now something was up, and now that I have my memory back, I know she's got it. Nothing we can do for her now, she wouldn't fight with us anyways."

Again, an awkward silence.

"Well, I guess that's it then. Without him, or any of the GKND members, we're short a lot of fighters. If you guys don't know, then no one knows." Numbuh 539 stared down at the floor sadly.

"You're not just gonna give up the fight though, right?" Numbuh 4 suddenly asked.

She jerked her head up. "Heck no! We've still got a good number of fighters, we can take them on! We were just really planning on having them as a secret weapon, put them in when too many get pulled out."

"Well…good then. Didn't wanna have us go down without a fight."

Not surprisingly, there was another moment of silence on the main deck. That was, until someone came up with a plan to end all plans.

"Wait, are you sure he's still in space?" Numbuh 5 asked her.

"Well, not really, no. We just figured, there's a lot of planets out there, he wouldn't have come back by now."

"Then what if he's NOT still in space!? What if he's hiding out on Earth, somewhere you haven't checked for yet, like near enemy territory?" Abby asked, seeming to get excited at the thought that she knew where he was.

Numbuh 539 seemed excited too, for the same reason. "Then that would explain why we can't find any of them, they must be on Earth, not here in space! That's absolutely genius!"

Numbuh 2 smirked at this. "Well, she _was_ Supreme Leader, after all." Everyone saw Numbuh 5 blush a bit.

"Well, are you up for the challenge? Do you think you guys could find him in time for the battle?" Lexi asked, looking to each of them for a response.

They also looked at each other, trying to figure out what each other would say. Numbuh 5 was the first to answer.

"Numbuh 5 don't know 'bout you guys, but she's in." She stuck her hand out, waiting to see who'd join her.

"I'm in, too." Numbuh 2 placed his hand on hers.

As did Numbuh 3. "Me three!"

"Me four!" Numbuh 4 finally added his own hand.

Numbuh 539 placed her hand on top of theirs. "Alright guys, this will probably be one of your toughest missions yet. But I know you guys can do this. So get out there, find him, bring him back, and we'll kick some adult butt!" She looked over all of them. "Count of three. One…two…three!"

On three, they all shot their hands that had been in the pile up in the air, with a simultaneous yell of, "KIDS NEXT DOOR RULES!!!"

Numbuh 539 led Sector V, now Sector F-V, down a long corridor to a room filled with operatives and what looked like 2x4 technology. As they came in, all the operatives dropped what they were doing and instantly saluted.

All at once, they said, "Numbuh 539, sir!"

She sighed at this. "At ease, go back to work." Whispering to the others, she said, "This is the exact reason why I hate being their leader. Formalities get so annoying."

"Numbuh 5 hears that, girl." She was the only one of them there who could relate to Lexi on formality annoyance. Though Numbuh 2 had been the Sector's leader while she was Supreme Leader, Numbuhs 3 and 4 couldn't think of him that way, and opted to avoid saluting him, which was just fine by him.

"So, let me show you guys what we've come up with since you've been gone. We've been waiting for an expert's opinion for awhile now, Hoagie." She led them over to an open table, covered in blueprints and spare parts. She grabbed a part, and held it up for them to see.

"Looks like a soda can, right? But it's not; it's one of our more popular weapons, the F.I.Z.Z.B.O.M.-X."

***Teens Next Door: F.I.Z.Z.B.O.M.-X.

Fizz Intensified Zuper Zany Bomb Opts Many Xplosions***

"Here, I'll show you how it works." Suddenly, she yelled to no one in particular, "IS THIS ONE READY, OR IS IT A MOCK-UP?

One boy, who was passing by with an armful of junk, looked it over briefly and stated, "Mock-up," and walked out the door.

"Thanks, F-Numbuh 59!" she called out.

She led them to another door, one with a large flashing green sign stating, "TESTING ROOM" on the front of it. She took one step in before running back out again, tripping and crashing into the others behind her. A _BANG!_ was heard, followed by a cloud of smoke, causing everyone in the room to cough uncontrollably. A moment later, a couple of operatives ran out of the testing room, also coughing.

Brushing dust off her clothes, and trying to control her coughing, Numbuh 539 yelled, "WHAT THE CRUD DO YOU GUYS THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

The smaller of the two was pushed forward by the other, and he timidly said, "T-testing a F-F.I.Z.Z.B.O.M.-X."

"Well, obviously! But why, when the sign is green?!" She pointed to the green sign on the door.

The boy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh, well, you see, funny story about that-"

"I'm not in the mood for funny stories! Go help F-Numbuh 59 clean up, and stay away from the F.I.Z.Z.B.O.M.-X.s!"

The two quickly ran out of the room, looks of sheer horror on their faces.

Holding her head again, she muttered, "Ugh, forgive me, 59." She suddenly remembered the others, and quickly said, "Sorry about that, they've been giving us all a hard time. If I've told them once, I've told them a million times: change the light to red when it's occupied, green if it's open."

As they walked in the testing room, Numbuh 2 asked, "Those guys look familiar, were they F-Numbuhs 34 and 42?" She simply nodded in agreement. She flipped a switch on the wall, then brought them over to the far side of the room.

"Alright, you know how this thing looks like a regular soda? Well, then Ninjas are gonna be thinking the same thing. Until we throw it at them, that is." As she swung her arm back, she warned, "You might wanna cover your ears." They did so, and she flung the contraption at the opposite wall. A fountain of sparks erupted from the wall, as did the same type of smoke they saw from before. Though this time, they were at a safe distance, so they didn't cough very much. When the smoke cleared completely, they could see a large black spot where the bomb had exploded.

"Explodes with a simple throw, and if the bomb doesn't waste them, the smoke will distract them enough for us to finish them off." She smiled proudly. "It's amazing what a bunch of kids can come up with."

"'Waste them'? You mean… you're actually fighting to _kill_?" Kuki asked, shocked.

She nodded with a somewhat guilty look on her face. "It's a sad day when our disputes with them come to fatal violence, but we've already had a few close calls with some of our own, and we aren't willing to risk sending out operatives empty handed.

"But," she added, "the good news is, you'll have plenty of 2x4 tech with you, so there shouldn't be much of a threat. I'll set you up with our older technology, as well as a couple of prototypes. They need real testing, but I won't send you out with only new stuff, just in case something happens to malfunction on ya."

She led them out of the room, flipping the switch again. Numbuh 4, who had been the first to walk out, noticed the sign had been red when they were inside, and switched back to green when the switch was hit.

They were each given a backpack, which they filled with the bombs and assorted tech, some they recognized from the Kids Next Door, some they didn't recognize at all. Among those they recognized was a M.U.S.K.E.T., a few dozen M.A.R.B.L.E.s, and "I Can't Believe It's Not Booger" (to which Numbuh 2 was ecstatic about; "I told them it was a good idea!!!" he had exclaimed). For those they hadn't recognized, they saw a small portable cannon that resembled a B.A.J.O.O.K.A., but instead, according to some of the operatives getting them supplies, shot out CDs with tracking devices on them, mainly to track enemies to their hideout and get information from Father. Another device was a communicator similar to the KND's, but doubled as a flare gun. The others noticed that Numbuh 539 herself had one attached to her belt, which hung loosely to her waist.

When each of them was prepared with their backpacks, they all gathered in the docking station of the Moon Base. Each of them had space helmets on, as the dock was open and there was no oxygen in the room. They were standing in front of an old S.C.A.M.P.E.R., and they could tell how old it was by the chipping paint and all the dirt it was covered in. Before going in, Numbuh 539 held up her right hand to them.

"Remember, your KND Ring is your lifeline. Don't ever take it off, _ever_. If you guys get in a jam, just contact us, we'll use your Rings to get your coordinates." She paused a moment. "And the most important thing: don't forget what it means."

Numbuhs 2,3, and 5 held up their hands as well, and Numbuh 3 nudged 4 to signal he was to do the same. The palms of their hands were facing each other. In unison (except for Numbuh 4, who was struggling to keep up with them), they said:

"Alone, we no better than the enemy."

They flipped their hands over, so now the fronts of their hands faced each other.

"Together, we are our own kind. We are, the Kids Next Door.

The four of them climbed into the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., Numbuh 2 at the controls. The others took their usual positions. They looked over at Lexi, who did not climb aboard.

"If I could, I would come with you. But these guys need me here, I can't leave them right now. But I know you guys can do this without me; Numbuh 5, you're in charge, can you double up duties?" She saw Abby nod. "Good. Good luck guys, we'll be waiting. Oh, and before I forget, if you find anyone, operative or not, who wants to help out, send them here. We need all the help we can get."

Numbuh 2 started the engine, and a low-pitched sputtering was heard. A moment later, the engine kicked in completely, and the craft hovered in the air a moment, before shooting out of the dock and out into space.

As Numbuh 539 waved them off, she muttered to herself, "Let's just hope this one works, Hantell."

**Just so you know, the little saying they did with the Rings is better explained on a page on my dA account (Genincat), which shows you the Ring's meaning and how to make your own. And remember to check said account for chapter pics, the cover, chapter 1, chapter 2, and this chapter are up now. **


	5. Chapter 4

Now Loading:

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.

Finding

Indecisive

Nigel

Is

Sure

Hard

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.**

Chapter 4

When the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. was finally out of sight, Numbuh 539 left the dock and headed back down the corridor to a door they had passed earlier. On the door was a small square pad, which glowed green. Pressing the palm of her hand firmly on the pad, it glowed even brighter. A click was sounded, and the door swung open. She stepped inside and pulled the door closed tightly.

This room was the only place she could truly be alone to think. No other operative had the same Ring as her, so it was completely safe for her to relax and try to focus calmly on the war on the outside world. Half of the room was a mock balcony (since she couldn't have a real one, for obvious reasons) with a window panning around, like on the main deck. Another wall had a desk piled high with papers, attack and defense plans, and her set of 2x4 technologies. And on the last wall was a large bulletin board covered with paper and thumb tacks. But unlike her cluttered desk, not one of these papers pertained to the war. They were all person items of hers, and the only place they were safe.

She walked over to this bulletin board, looking over all the papers and photographs posted on it; it was something she did to calm her, remind her of happier times. One photo showed herself on the original Moon Base (the one before Grandfather came back), saluting and smiling proudly, with other operatives surrounding her. _My graduation_, she thought to herself. Another photo looked almost exactly the same, though the girl was saluting with the opposite hand, and her clothing differed slightly. This was her little sister Allai's graduation, about a week before joining the Spies. In one corner of the board was a certificate, signed by Numbuh 274, declaring her a Spy for the KND. In another corner was a letter from her mother, whom Lexi sent on a trip to Honduras when she found out Seattle was on the list of to-be occupied cities; her mother had no clue about the war, and believed Lexi was at college and Allai was at Summer Camp (both of which were merely decoys, since their mother knew nothing about the KND or the TND, or the fact they were operatives for that matter).

Sighing, Lexi walked away from all the memories over to the large pane window, staring out into space, wondering. Wondering if this plan would work, wondering if they could save the organization, wondering if they wouldn't all be making rice pudding by the end of the week (though Grandfather loved tapioca, his son wasn't as thrilled about it). She closed her eyes, sighing again; secretly wishing someone else had taken the job, despite everyone else's lack of leadership know-how. Maybe when, and if, Sector V could find Numbuh 1, he might choose to be their leader, and a great stress would be lifted off her shoulders, a burden she had had to carry since Father's first invasion in Texas, her original home state. She suddenly felt a light breeze blow through her hair, and it reminded her of the many summer days she had spent aimlessly wandering the park in Seattle, before all of this had started, before-

Her thoughts stopped dead, and her eyes flew open.

A breeze? In _space_?!?

She whipped out a few M.A.R.B.L.E.s out of her pocket and spun on her heel, and was about to throw them at the door when she realized who it was. Standing in the doorway was her long-time best friend, Numbuh 794, or as she simply called him by his real name, Luke Masters.

She stood frozen in her fighting stance, M.A.R.B.L.E.s still aimed at him. "Well, you know it's me, you gonna put those things down?" he laughed.

Lexi looked down at herself, and instantly went back to normal, a little sheepish. She had forgotten that the other Spies could get in her room, since they had matching Rings.

"Uh, yeah, sorry 'bout that…" She rubbed her neck awkwardly.

He shrugged. "Eh, no worries. Any one of us woulda done the same thing. Although," he smirked a bit, "some of us probably woulda put our M.A.R.B.L.E.s away by now." She quickly pocketed her weapons, and he laughed.

"Alright, alright, they're away, laugh all ya want, Masters." She rolled her eyes playfully at him. He definitely was one of her favorite Spies, heck, one of her favorite people in the world; he wasn't one you could stay mad at for long. "So…you gonna tell me what you're hiding?"

He smirked again. "Geeze, nothing passes your eyes, _Hantell_." She knew he hated when she used his last name, and he often did it back at her as playful revenge. He whipped out the hand from behind is back, revealing a small cupcake with green frosting, and she could see he had attempted to spell her first name in more icing. Though _Alexandra _obviously wouldn't have fit, so he just used _Lexi_ instead. Stuck in the middle was a lit candle.

He stuck out the cupcake, which she took from his hands and held in her own. "Just thought I'd give a little something for the birthday girl."

Up until this point, she'd been staring down at the little cake in her hands. Now, she shifted her eyes up to meet his. "You…you actually remembered?" she asked him.

He smiled at her. "Like I'm gonna forget my best friend's birthday. War or no war, it's your day, and you deserve _some_ type of cake." Her eyes shifted back to the cupcake. "Well, go on, make a wish!" he urged.

Lexi took a moment to think, then took a deep breath and blew out the little candle. She then placed the cupcake so it rested in one hand, and gave him a half hug with her free arm.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," she told him.

"Eh, no problem," he said, hugging her back. They pulled away after a moment, and she poked her index finger in the icing. The icing stuck to her finger easily, exactly the way she liked it, and when she had enough, she stuck it in her mouth to taste.

"Mmm, just like mom used to make," she said, though it sounded more like a mutter because of the finger in her mouth. She popped it out, and stuck her pinky this time in the icing. "Here, try some!" She wiped her pinky on the tip of his nose, which made him cross eyed when he looked down at it.

"Hey! What was that for?!" He stuck his own finger in the icing, and tried to wipe it on _her_ nose. But she moved to quickly, calling behind her, "Oh, no you don't!"

They chased each other around the room, trying to wipe frosting on each other's noses, totally carefree like they were so many years ago. For just that brief time, they completely forgot about everything outside that room.

**Short, I know. But I just wanted to point out that today was my OC's birthday!!! Next chapter soon!**


	6. Chapter 5

Now Loading:

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.

Finding

Indecisive

Nigel

Is

Sure

Hard

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.**

Chapter 5

Though old, the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. still ran fine, and Numbuh 2 had no problems remembering how to fly it. His fellow teammates also remembered perfectly how their own devices worked: Numbuh 4 on weapons, Numbuh 3 on the defense mechanisms, and Numbuh 5 as both the tracker and the commander.

The only problem they _did _run into was deciding where to go first.

They were flying aimlessly around, more like hovering in space, wasting gallon after gallon of fuel. No one really made a comment on this; they were still getting used to the idea that they would finally see their leader after so many years, so flying wasn't that big of a priority at the moment.

Numbuh 5 was sitting in the leader chair, staring at a large map of the world, wondering just where to start first. A huge planet, so many countries, so many continents to search for him, it was mind boggling. It was at that moment that it hit her.

Well, 'it' turned out to be a rubber band that was flung at her head.

Though it didn't hurt her in the slightest, she still glared angrily at Numbuh 4, the one who had flung the rubber band in the first place.

"What?! I'm bored! And, I'm starving over here! Does this hunk of junk have any soda, or at least a piece of candy? I'll take anything, even a stupid piece of caramel for all I care," he told her, sinking down in his chair to the point where he was almost laying on it.

That's when the actual _idea_ hit Numbuh 5.

"Whoa, hold up. Say that again."

"I'm bored, and I'm starving."

"No, after that."

"Does this hunk of junk-"

"NO! AFTER that, Wally!!!"

"Uh, even a piece of caramel?"

"Bingo!" Numbuh 5 jumped in her seat excitedly. She then ran to the opposite side of the ship, grabbed a piece of paper off the wall, and thrust it in his face. "Look what today is!!!"

Wally mumbled through the paper, "How can I, there's a cruddy piece of paper in my face!!!"

Numbuh 5 groaned and snatched back the paper. Upon closer inspection, the others realized it was a calendar.

"Today is May 5th, idiot!"

Numbuh 4 shrugged. "And tomorrow's May 6th. Big whoop."

"Don't you realize what May 5th is?!?" When no one answered, she said, "It's the 5th day of the 5th month, and it's been 5 years since we were in Guatemala!"

"So that means…the ritual Heinrich…I mean, Henrietta, did the last time, someone else could do it right now?" Numbuh 2 said uncertainly.

"Bingo again! I betcha Numbuh 1 got sent on some kinda mission to Guatemala, to stop whoever's trying to do the ritual!"

"Well then, why're we wasting time just floating around in space?! Let's go!" Numbuh 4 said excitedly, jumping out of his seat like Numbuh 5 had.

"You heard the guy, to Guatemala, Hoagie!" Numbuh 5 agreed, settling back down in her chair.

She entered a few coordinates into the system for Numbuh 2 to follow, and they zoomed out of space towards Earth.

When the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. finally landed, everyone immediately jumped out onto the hard soil ground. Numbuh 5 led the way, map and compass in hand. Numbuh 3 stood behind her, followed by Numbuh 4, and Numbuh 2 in the very back.

"Alright, Sector U's tree house is…45ᵒ in that direction," she said mostly to herself, pointing off into the North. "Which means the pyramid must be about 90ᵒ in the opposite direction." She now pointed South. "So we've gotta go that way."

"Can we make it there on foot, or do we need the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. again?" Numbuh 3 asked her, looking off into the distance.

Numbuh 5 scanned over the map for a moment, then said, "We can walk it, there aren't many wooded areas, and there's a path, but Numbuh 5's not sure how long it will take us to get there. Numbuh 4, what time is it?"

"Uh…1 o'clock."

"Which means it's actually noon right now." She looked back up in the direction of the pyramid, then back down at the map. "Numbuh 5 thinks we can make it in time, but we'll have to sleep at the GKND's base camp; we'd never make a full trip in one day."

With that, she led the way in the direction of the pyramid, her teammates following closely behind. As the map showed, there was a long dirt path they walked along, away from some of the high growing vegetation. Besides the occasional bird call, the walk was quiet and rather peaceful, until…

"Ugh, my feet hurt!" Numbuh 4 complained.

"We shoulda brought the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., we'd get there in no time!" Numbuh 2 joined in. They were lagging behind, both at the back and at the same pace: no faster than a snail.

Numbuh 5 sighed. "Would ya quit you're whining? We've only been walking for a half hour! We used ta take longer trips than this all the time!"

"_Used to_. Not anymore!" Numbuh 2 pointed out, finally collapsing to the floor with a thud. Numbuh 5 stopped to look down at him.

Shaking her head, she told him, "Numbuh 5 has _no_ idea how you lost all that weight in the first place." Numbuh 2 had lost a considerable amount of weight since he was a child, a mystery to everyone else, since they expected him to be thin with all the missions and fatter when he left the KND. Yet the exact opposite had happened.

"I donno, and I don't care," he mumbled. Numbuh 5 just rolled her eyes.

"See, Numbuh 2's got the right idea!" Numbuh 4 then proceeded to just fall right on the ground and relax. Or so he would have, if he hadn't lain _off_ of the path and onto a baby cactus plant. It took him a second to realize the cactus was even there, mostly because of his thick sweatshirt. But when he felt it, he sprang up and ran around in circles, screaming, "GET'R OFF ME! GET'R OFF ME!!!"

Another eye roll from Numbuh 5, who covered her face with her hand in embarrassment at her team. "Ugh, Numbuh 5 can't _wait_ to get off this country…"

After running around for another minute or so, Numbuh 4 finally smartened up enough to stop running and yank the plant off his back. Though he hadn't smartened up enough to _cover_ the hand with anything, so now not only did his back hurt from the needles, so did his right hand. And the running around resumed, waving his hand wildly, trying to get rid of the cactus but too hysterical to actually let go.

"Ugh, Numbuh 3, can you get the dim-wit to calm down while I get Mr. Lazy off the floor…" Numbuh 5 muttered.

But no one answered.

So Numbuh 5 tried again, more loudly. "I said, Numbuh 3, can you calm down Numbuh 4 while I get Numbuh 2?"

Again, no answer.

"That's an _order_, Numbuh 3!"

Nothing.

Numbuh 5 took her hand off of her face to look around, and only saw Numbuh 4, who stopped running around, and Numbuh 2, who had finally sat up. They too were looking around confusedly. Numbuh 3 was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Numbuh 3?" she asked them.

Both of them shrugged and shook their heads.

"Oh great, this is just great, we've lost Numbuh 3!"

The realization her teammate was missing hit her hard. They'd lost a comrade under _her_ leadership. It was one of the most humiliating and degrading scenarios that could happen to a sector leader.

It was also the most fatal. Because not all lost operatives are found.


	7. Chapter 6

Now Loading:

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.

Finding

Indecisive

Nigel

Is

Sure

Hard

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.**

Chapter 6

"Well, what are we gonna do? We can't keep going without Numbuh 3," Numbuh 2 said groggily. He had almost fallen asleep lying on the path, and had only woken up when they realized Numbuh 3 was missing.

Numbuh 5 looked at the height of the sun. Despite how early it was, the sun almost seemed to be going down already. "And if we double back to find her, we probably won't make it to the pyramid in time. It'll get dark, we'd have to spend the night who knows where, the GKND will probably be gone by sunrise-"

"Who cares about the stupid Canadians?!? Kuki's all alone out there, we can't just leave her!" Numbuh 4 exclaimed. "She could be hurt, for all we know! Or abducted by aliens! I ain't going if she's not here!" He folded his arms, and was about to sit on the ground in stubbornness when the little cactus, still stuck to his hand, pinched the other, and he remembered the last time he'd tried to sit on the ground. So he just glared at Numbuh 5 instead. "You guys can go find Numbuh 1 if you want, but I'm going back for Kuki!" With that, he turned on his heel and started to walk in the opposite direction.

Numbuh 2 had been watching Numbuh 4 the whole time, and now returned his gaze to Numbuh 5, wondering what to do.

Numbuh 5 just stood there in a silent debate with herself. After a short moment, she ran after Numbuh 4, calling to him to come back. Numbuh 2 jumped up from his spot and followed them.

"Numbuh 4! Hey, Wally, wait up!" Numbuh 5 called. Numbuh 4 hadn't gotten very far at that point, only a few strides away from the others. He stopped and turned to face her, who ran the rest of the way to stop in front of him. Numbuh 2 was right on her heels.

"We ain't going without Numbuh 3 either. We've waited 5 years to see Numbuh 1, I'm sure he can wait for us for just a little while longer." She smiled at him, her eyes covered by her hat.

He didn't say anything, just turned around and kept walking. When neither of them followed immediately, trying to decide why he hadn't answered, he called over his shoulder, "You guys coming or what?"

And of course, they followed him. After a moment of walking, Numbuh 2 nudged 5 in the arm and whispered low enough that Numbuh 4 couldn't hear, "He's as protective of her as he was back when we were kids!"

Numbuh 5 smiled. "Some things never seem to change, huh?"

It had been a half hour of retracing their steps, and still no sign of Numbuh 3. They looked everywhere, both on the path and off it. They were all worried for their friend's safety, Numbuh 4 especially. He was the one who called her name the loudest.

"KUKI! WHERE ARE YA? _KUKI_!?!"

He'd been calling the same thing the whole time, and Numbuhs 2 and 5 could hear his voice was starting to get hoarse.

They were quickly running out of places to search, and what was worse, they had absolutely no clue how much ground she had covered during the time she'd been missing. They had barely kept in touch after their decommissionings – mostly because they had all been in different countries and different continents – they didn't know her physical capabilities; if she could walk for that long without resting, if she walked quickly or slowly, absolutely nothing that could have helped them.

Numbuh 2 eventually reached his own capabilities like before, and again fell flat on his face in exhaustion. Numbuh 5 had to drag him along, barely keeping up with Numbuh 4; despite his exhaustion earlier, he now walked non-stop with no signs of tiredness at all.

"COMMON, KUKI! WHERE ARE YA?! KOOKS!?!"

It was a bittersweet moment for Numbuh 5 right then. Bitter, because she knew how much pain Numbuh 4 was in at that point, herself also worried about her teammate. Sweet, because even after the years apart, he still loved her to death, even remembering his pet name for her as kids.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Numbuh 5 saw a glimpse of something off color. Up until now, all she saw was green and brown; there wasn't much color scheme in the landscape around them. But now she saw something pink. And not a natural pink; a very florescent, hot pink color.

"Hey Wally, Numbuh 5 thinks she found something!" She called out, dragging Numbuh 2 over to the pink object. Upon picking it up and closer inspection, she realized it was a pink colored earring.

"Why would there be a pink earring in the middle of nowhere?" she asked herself. Her heart leaped to her throat when she remembered a very important detail from earlier.

Kuki had been wearing pink earrings when they left the ship.

Numbuh 4 finally reached her. Panting, he asked, "What'd…you…find?"

She handed the earring to Numbuh 4, who looked down on it. He then looked back up and glared at her. "Numbuh 5, this is no time for girly accessor-whatcha-call-its. We need to find Kuki!"

Numbuh 5 just stared at him, not believing his stupidity. When he didn't say anything more, she sighed and said, "Fool, Numbuh 3 was wearing this exact earring when we got here!"

His eyes suddenly got as wide as dinner plates, and he looked like he was about to fall over. "Cover your ears," he warned her, and she confusedly did so, not sure what he was getting at. He sucked in a huge breath, and then screamed at the top of his lungs, "KUKI!!!!"

Even with her hands over her ears, the scream was still very loud, and hurt her ear drums. She never knew Numbuh 4 could scream at that pitch, or for so long; it seemed like it had taken over a minute before he stopped, gasping for air.

The three of them stood quietly, waiting to hear something, anything. Even a bird would have been a relief to hear, to assure that they all hadn't just gone deaf. But all they could hear was the echo of Numbuh 4's scream in the distance; or perhaps it was just in their heads, echoing off the sides of their inner skulls.

And then…

"WALLY???"

An equally loud scream, this one more high-pitched, coming from the same direction Numbuh 4 had just yelled to.

Bewildered, they all stood stupidly for a moment, amazed they had actually gotten a response. Numbuh 4 was the first to snap out of it. He motioned to the others to cover their ears again.

"KOOKS?! KUKI, WE'RE COMING! DON'T MOVE!"

He ran off in the direction of her scream, the others trailing closely behind him. Numbuhs 2 and 5 kept their hands over their ears as Numbuh 4 continued to scream/talk to Numbuh 3, to make sure they were running in the right direction. Their run turned to a sprint when they had to cover their ears to Numbuh 3's responses.

They eventually got to the point that they were so close, neither had to scream to each other, and Numbuhs 2 and 5 could lower their hands. They landed up in a small clearing, with a large mountain in front of them. Looking around, they still couldn't spot their friend.

"Kuki! Kuki, where are you?!" Numbuh 4 called out while searching through some bushes.

"I'm over here! In the cave!" was the response they heard a moment later.

Numbuhs 2, 4, and 5 stopped for a moment to try and process what she had just said. They didn't even realize there _was_ a cave around here, let alone where to find it.

"Where's the cave, Numbuh 3?!" Numbuh 5 called to her.

About a split second later: "Do you see the mountain? It's in the side of it!"

They ran closer to the mountain, and began searching it for entrances, meanwhile still calling to her and following her voice. Numbuh 4 and 5 searched on the larger section on the left, while Numbuh 2 searched on the smaller section on the right. You'd think a large gaping hole in the side of a mountain would be easy to spot, but with all the vegetation, it was proving to be a great hassle.

Finally, Numbuhs 4 and 5, who were moving closer and closer to the back of the mountain, heard Numbuh 2 yell, "HEY! I FOUND IT, GUYS!" They immediately doubled back to find him.

He was standing in front of a huge tree, which was broken at the trunk and was fallen over. Behind the tree appeared to be a large opening in the mountain, though climbing in, or out, of it with the tree blocking the way seemed impossible.

"I was just calling to Numbuh 3," he told them, "when I heard her voice inside here. She says she can't get out, and I can't move the tree on my own."

Numbuh 5 looked up and down the fallen tree, and then said, "Alright, we'll get under the biggest branches, and push up. That way, it will fall over in the opposite direction!" The others agreed, and they climbed into the leafy part of the tree. When each of them had a strong hold on a sturdy branch, they counted to three in unison, and on three they lifted the tree together.

Though the tree was old, it was rather heavy, and it took a few rounds of counting and lifting together to actually get the tree to a standing position. Numbuh 2 then ran around the other side and pulled the trunk in the same direction. With their combined strength, they were able to successfully push the tree over to the opposite side, letting it slam to the ground.

Panting and wiping his hands on his jeans, Numbuh 4 ran over to the mouth of the cave. It actually wasn't all that big; if he had actually walked inside it, he wouldn't have been able to stand straight up without hitting his head. As a kid, possibly he would have stood straight, but not anymore. So instead of actually trying to walk in, he bent down slightly so he could see inside.

He found Numbuh 3 curled up in a ball far in the cave, apparently trying to stay as far away from the entrance as possible (so as not to get hurt when the tree was being moved). But the moment she saw him standing there, she jumped up and attacked him in a huge hug, almost knocking him to the ground. It was one of her 'death hugs', the kind no one could escape from and made it practically impossible to breathe, because she held her captive so tightly.

Which was exactly what she was doing now to Numbuh 4. Her arms were tangled firmly around his middle, her face buried in his shoulder. All Numbuh 4 could do was stand there in shock and try not to die of suffocation (though this was more of an overstatement; she always let go when someone asked her to, or if she realized she was hurting them).

"K-Ku-ki!" Numbuh 4 managed to gasp out, his face slowly turning pale.

Numbuh 3 didn't let go, but she loosened her grip considerably. He was no longer suffocating, which was a relief.

"Boy, you sure know how to take someone's breath away, huh Kooks?" he laughed. But the laughing only lasted a moment when he realized she wasn't laughing along with him. Her face remained hidden in his sweatshirt, and he suddenly noticed she was shaking a bit.

"Kooks?"

No response; the shaking continued.

"Kuki?" he said worriedly. A sudden memory came back to him, where she had done the same thing before. Not the happiest memory in the world; it had been the day of his decommissioning. "Kuki, are…are you crying?"

The shaking abruptly stopped. And as quickly as she had attacked him, she jumped back away from him and turned so her back was facing him.

"No, I'm not _crying_! Why in the world would I be crying!?" she yelled at him.

He put his hands up defensively. "I'm just asking! Calm down, Kuki!"

"Well maybe I don't _want_ to calm down! Maybe I wanna be all hyped up, ever think of that!?" She still did not face him. Occasionally, he saw her arm move up towards her face, like she was wiping it.

"Okay, okay, sheesh! You wanna be like that, be my guest."

"Well then, good." She turned to run off and join the others, who were over by the fallen tree. At the moment she turned enough that he could see her face, he realized she _had_ been crying; her face was wet with tear stains, and her eyes and cheeks were bright red. There was also some dirt on her chin and neck, probably from climbing in the cave.

Numbuh 4 couldn't understand why she had snapped at him so suddenly. He hated to see her so upset, but he shrugged it off, figuring it was just another 'cruddy girly thing', and also left to go to his teammates.

"So, you mind explaining what happened, Numbuh 3? We were really worried about you," Numbuh 5 said when she noticed Numbuh 3.

Numbuh 2 looked at Numbuh 3's face, and said, "Hey, you okay, Numbuh 3?"

She tilted her head at him. "What do ya mean?"

"Well…it kinda looks like you were crying," he simply said.

She glared at him. "No, I wasn't crying. Dirt got in my eyes, and I was trying to get it out. No big deal," she told him angrily. Then she quickly changed the subject, her voice more light-hearted. "Okay, so where should I start?"

Numbuh 4 couldn't believe what just happened. Sweet little Kuki, all up in everyone's face. She'd changed emotions before – heck, she could be downright evil if she wanted to – but never like this.

Numbuh 5's response broke his train of thought. "Well, I guess start when you got separated from us."

Numbuh 3 nodded. "Okay, well, I saw this really shiny black stuff out among the trees, and it looked sorta like metal. I thought maybe it was some mechanical stuff or something, like from a Teen Ninja camp or something. So I ran over to it, and I didn't say anything because if it wasn't it, I didn't wanna slow you guys down. And I kept following the metal thing, it was actually moving! Then I found this clearing and the metal seemed to be in the cave. So I ran over, and I guess something hit the tree because the next thing I knew, it fell over and I was trapped."

Numbuh 5 simply nodded. "So the Ninjas are in the area. That means we're gonna have to be a little more careful on our way to the pyramid. Which..." she glanced up at the sun, "we might be able to reach by sundown. But we'll have to hurry, no more shenanigans, guys."

The all nodded their heads in agreement, and made their way as quickly as possible back to the path. They all stayed close together, so as not to get separated again, and Numbuhs 2 and 4 made the best effort they could not to whine. Numbuh 3 never mentioned once if she saw the metal again, nor did anyone ever see any in the overgrowth.


	8. Chapter 7

Now Loading:

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.

Finding

Indecisive

Nigel

Is

Sure

Hard

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.**

Chapter 7

By the time the four of them reached the clearing near the pyramid, the sun had already set. Through their haste to get there by nightfall, they'd scraped and cut almost every inch of their skin not protected by fabric, and in some places, they had holes in their clothes, the visible skin also cut and covered in dirt. Not the most presentable bunch, but none of them really cared.

Numbuh 5 knew they were in the right clearing, for they found strange symbols marked on the ground in white. She walked up to it - careful to step on the outside – and ran a finger in a symbol. The white stuck to her finger, and after examining it, she popped the finger in her mouth, much to the disgust of her teammates.

"Pure sugar. Yep, someone's been trying to activate the pyramid today." She glanced around the clearing until her eyes fell on her target. "And judging by how thin the markings are and how little empty bags are here, they were in a hurry to get done."

"So…do you think it actually worked?" Numbuh 2 asked.

She turned to face them and shook her head. "Unless you use the right amount of sugar, it doesn't work. You need at least 7 sacks to make the markings in this clearing alone. And that pile, "she pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the empty bags, "has only 4. Whoever's leading them has no clue what they're doing."

"Well, that's good, right? So they can't do any of that caramel stuff on us again," Numbuh 4 said, his face brightening. He obviously hated when his favorite trait – his ferocity – had been taken away temporarily so many years ago.

"Good point. But if the GKND knows that, they probably wouldn't come here. Or maybe they already left; who knows?" she said, shrugging.

"_I_ know," said a voice suddenly from the underbrush, one that made all of them jump.

They were all hesitant to ask and find out who the voice belonged to. Numbuh 5, feeling it was her duty as leader, bravely stepped forward and called out, "Well, who _are_ you? And _where_ are you?"

A moment later, they heard a rustling in the brush not far from where they were all standing. They automatically got in defensive positions and pulled out weapons from their backpacks. They all stared at the moving vegetation until a figure walked out.

It was a girl, who looked about their age. She had long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, topped with an explorer's hat. Her entire outfit was also one of an explorer's, or perhaps of a treasure hunter's. Over her left eye was a monocle.

For a moment, no one did anything. Numbuhs 2 and 3 stood stupidly with their mouths slightly open, Numbuh 4 looked totally lost, and Numbuh 5 and the girl simply stared at each other in shock. The girl was the first of any of them to actually react.

"Vell, it 'as been a long time, 'asn't it Abigail?" the girl said in a strong German accent. "If ein remembers correctly, it vas in theis exact spot, ja?"

Numbuh 5 chuckled. "Still got your old accent, huh?" She leaned over and gave the girl a hug. "Missed you a lot, Henie"

"As ein missed you, fraulein," she replied.

"Ahem. Mind telling us who _this_ is, Numbuh 5?" Numbuh 4 cut in, a look of confusion across his face. Everyone stared at him, amazed at his stupidity. "What?"

The girl nudged Numbuh 5 in the arm. "'e is ze, how you say, stupid one?" Everyone giggled but Numbuh 4 when Numbuh 5 nodded.

"HEY! I don't know who you are, girly, but nobody calls me stupid!" Numbuh 4 yelled, rolling up a sleeve on his sweatshirt and holding up a fist menacingly.

Numbuh 5 rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you still don't get it, do you? Numbuh 4, this is Henrietta, remember?" When he didn't respond, she rolled her eyes. "Do you mind?" she asked the girl.

The girl seemed to understand what she meant. "Nein," she said, shaking her head.

"This is Heinrich, Heinrich Von Marzipan?" Numbuh 5 went on.

Numbuh 4 still stood in confusion for a moment. Though after a moment, he seemed to remember. "Oh, I remember now! You're that guy who turned out to be a chick!"

Numbuh 3 nudged him in the stomach with her elbow, which he let out a yelp. "What was that for?"

Henrietta laughed. "_Wery_ stupid. But ein do not mind, ein used to it back home," she shrugged. "Ein new candy hunting partners not smart like you, Abigail. Zey missing some smarts, like your friend here." She giggled a bit.

"Heh, you got that right," Numbuh 5 replied. "So, what brings you here to Guatemala? Not trying that old ritual, I hope."

"Nein, I vas finished vit zat old trouble years ago. Too many sat memoriess, zat pyramit. Nein, I came to make sure no von else tried to do it."

"Numbuh 5 don't blame you, if I'da remembered myself, I would have wanted to do the same thing," she replied, then added, "no one should have to deal with what we went through."

Henrietta looked a bit confused. "Vy vould you not remember, frauline?"

It took Numbuh 5 a moment to understand what was wrong. "Oh, that's right, Numbuh 5 never got the chance to tell you; she got decommissioned when she turned 13, and our little spats over our first time in Guatemala got involved. So she didn't remember about the ritual."

"So zen, vy do you remember now?"

Numbuh 5 glanced back at the others, who shrugged. They weren't really sure if Henrietta would understand the situation they were in; they themselves only just learned it earlier that day.

"Uh, well, it's kinda a long story, and we're kinda in a rush. Any other time Numbuh 5'd try to explain it to you, but we're pressed for time."

Henrietta smirked. "Ein sure I can help you, ein know zis place like ze back of ein's hand."

Numbuh 3 suddenly remembered something. "Didn't you say you knew who was here before?"

"Oh, ja, ein seen some peoples ein never met before. Zey had sugar bags on zeir shoulders, and zey poured it on zey ground." She gazed around the clearing. "Zey seem to 'ave been in e rush, ze symbols, zey look wery sloppy and zin."

Numbuh 3 nodded. "Numbuh 5 noticed that before. So you don't know who they were Henrietta?"

The girl shook her head. "Sadly, nein."

"Well, they don't seem to be here now, so Numbuh 5 guesses they've left already. So Guatemala's a dud," Numbuh 5 said disappointedly.

"E 'dud'? Vat is e 'dud'?" Henrietta asked, obviously confused at this new term.

Numbuh 5 waved it off with her hand. "It's nothing Henie."

The girl shrugged. "Eh, ein so confused by your American language. So, vat are you going to do now?"

Numbuh 5 looked back up at the others. Judging by the looks on their faces, they didn't have a clue what to do next. And unfortunately, neither did her.

"Numbuh 5 guesses…we'll just have to find some other place to look."

Henrietta noticed her friend's distress and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe ein can help you find zis…vatever it is you are looking for."

Numbuh 5 put on the best smile she could manage, though she felt completely defeated inside. She had been sure they'd find Numbuh 1 here. "Thanks Henie, that means a lot. And, it's not whatever. It's _who_ever."

"Vell, ein good et finding people, too. Ein found you, frauline, ja?" Henrietta smiled.

"Good point. Alright, you can come along. But first," Numbuh 5 said, looking up at the blackened sky, "we'll need someplace to camp out. This clearing is fine, and Numbuh 5's sure we can manage to make some kind of shelter." She turned to face her teammates. "We'll start up our search again in the morning. Sound good to you guys?"

Everyone nodded and voiced their agreement.

"Alright, good. Henrietta and Numbuh 5 will go find some food. Numbuhs 2 and 4, find some fallen trees and branches and bring them to the middle. Numbuh 3, while you wait for them, try to erase these sugar markings; honestly, some people just don't know how to handle sugar right. Oh, and see if you guys can start a fire." Out of force of habit, Numbuhs 2, 3, and 4 saluted her, and after her groaning they dropped their hands.

The five of them were sitting around a roaring fire, eating some berries and fruit Numbuh 5 and Henrietta had managed to come across growing in the brush. Everyone was more intent on staring at the fire than talking, so there wasn't much noise besides an occasional bird in the distance.

"So," Henrietta eventually said, breaking the silence, "vat vas zat long story you vere talking ebout, Abigail?"

Numbuh 5 set down the piece of bark she was using as a makeshift plate. "Well, seeing as you'll be traveling with us now, I guess you have a right to know what's going on."

She recapped everything Numbuh 539 had told them earlier, the others occasionally adding things she missed or skipped. Henrietta nodded intently once in awhile, asking a question now and again about things she didn't understand (such as what the GKND was).

When their story was finished, Henrietta said, "So you zought maybe Nigel vas here?" They all nodded. "And do any of you have e, how you say, e backup plan? Or vas you sure 'e vould be 'ere?"

Numbuh 2 shook his head. "We were almost positive he'd show up here. So no, no backup plan."

"Vell zat's alright, we can figure somezing out. Let's zink: vhere else vould Nigel go zat has any meaning to 'im?"

They all sat in silence for a moment, contemplating the question. This was completely opposite of their original thinking; they'd been focused on places the GKND would go, not where Nigel himself would be.

Numbuh 4 suddenly snapped his fingers. "I got it! He's at the tree house!"

The others thought on this. Numbuh 3 finally said what pretty much all of them were thinking: "That makes sense. I mean, the tree house _is_ connected to his house, and one of the first things he'd want to do is find his parents. I know that's what I'd do if I were him."

Numbuh 2 was the next to speak. "You've got a point there. Nice job, Numbuh 4! You actually thought up something useful!"

"Thanks!" Numbuh 4 exclaimed. Then after _really _processing what his friend had said, "Hey!"

"Ah, you know I'm messing with ya, buddy!"

Numbuh 5 sighed. "This really brings Numbuh 5 back to the good old times." She heard Henrietta giggle next to her. "What?"

"Nozing, frauline. Is just, you eccuse me earlier of still 'aving ein accent, vere you still talk in ze zird person!"

Numbuh 5 laughed at this, as did everyone else. "Just can't break old habits, I guess!"

"Yeah!" Numbuh 4 said. "I still have my Australian accent a bit, but I haven't been back there since I was 12!" It was true; the Aussie still had a hint of an Australian accent when he talked.

"And _I_ still have my awesome jokes!" added Numbuh 2. "Remember Abby? 'I'm so hungry, it's not even _bunny_?'" He started to crack up at his own joke, while everyone else just groaned.

"Seriously, your nega-self was funnier than you!" Numbuh 4 told him.

"He told one joke! And it wasn't even funny at all!"

"Because _you_ don't know a good joke when you hear one!"

"Hey!"

"Just messing with ya, _buddy_!" Numbuh 4 mocked his friend's line from earlier, unable to hold in his laughter. Everyone joined in, even Numbuh 2, who couldn't resist.

During her own fit of laughter, Numbuh 5 looked around at all her friends, and silently thought to herself, _Yeah, DEFINITELY just like the good old days_.

**A little author's note for this chapter. Some of you might not exactly get Henrietta's German accent that well, so I'll provide you with translations for the chapters where she's speaking. BTW, note that 'frauline' means 'miss', but is more of a courtesy word when talking to a girl. **

Vell, it 'as been a long time, 'asn't it Abigail? If ein remembers correctly, it vas in theis exact spot, ja? .**...means… **Well, it has been a long time, hasn't it Abigail? If I remember correctly, it was in this exact spot, right?

As ein missed you, fraulein **…means… **As I missed you, miss.

'e is ze, how you say, stupid one? **…means… **He is the, how you say, stupid one?

Nein **…means… **no

_Wery_ stupid. But ein do not mind, ein used to it back home. Ein new candy hunting partners not smart like you, Abigail. Zey missing some smarts, like your friend here. **…means… **_Very_ stupid. But I do not mind, I'm used to it back home. My new candy hunting partners not smart like you, Abigail. They're missing smarts, like you're friend here. [meaning her partners are also stupid]

Nein, I vas finished vit zat old trouble years ago. Too many sat memoriess, zat pyramit. Nein, I came to make sure no von else tried to do it. **…means… **No, I was finished with that old trouble years ago. Too many sad memories with that pyramid. No, I came to make sure no one else tried to do it [the ritual].

Vy vould you not remember, frauline? **…means…** Why would you not remember, miss?

So zen, vy do you remember now? **…means… **So then, why do you remember now?

Ein sure I can help you, ein know zis place like ze back of ein's hand. **…means…** I'm sure I can help you, I know this place like the back of my hand.

Oh, ja, ein seen some peoples ein never met before. Zey had sugar bags on zeir shoulders, and zey poured it on zey ground. Zey seem to 'ave been in e rush, ze symbols, zey look wery sloppy and zin. **…means… **Oh, yes, I saw some people I've never met before. They had sugar bags on their shoulders, and they poured it on the ground. They seem to have been in a rush, the symbols, they look very sloppy and thin.

Sadly, nein **…means… **Sadly, no

E 'dud'? Vat is e 'dud'? **…means… **A 'dud'? What is a 'dud'? [keep in mind she doesn't know American slang]

Eh, ein so confused by your American language. So, vat are you going to do now? **…means… **Eh, I'm so confused by your American language. So, what are you going to do now?

Maybe ein can help you find zis…vatever it is you are looking for. **…means… **Maybe I can help you find this…whatever it is you are looking for.

Vell, ein good et finding people, too. Ein found you, frauline, ja? **…means… **Well, I'm good at finding people, too. I found you, miss, right?

So, vat vas zat long story you vere talking ebout, Abigail? **…means… **So, what was that long story you were talking about, Abigail?

So you zought maybe Nigel vas here? And do any of you have e, how you say, e backup plan? Or vas you sure 'e vould be 'ere? **…means… **So you thought maybe Nigel was here? And do any of you have a, how you say, a backup plan? Or was you sure he would be here?

Vell zat's alright, we can figure somezing out. Let's zink: vhere else vould Nigel go zat has any meaning to 'im? **…means… **Well that's alright, we can figure something out. Let's think: where else would Nigel go that has any meaning to him?

Nozing, frauline. Is just, you eccuse me earlier of still 'aving ein accent, vere you still talk in ze zird person! **…means…** Nothing, miss. It's just, you accused me earlier of still having my accent, where you still talk in the third person!

**Wow, that took forever. But I hope it helped you non-German-accent-readers out!**


	9. Chapter 8

Now Loading:

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.

Finding

Indecisive

Nigel

Is

Sure

Hard

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.**

Chapter 8

Bright and early the next morning, the four operatives and their friend emerged from their makeshift shelters. They had been lucky – it hadn't rained at all during the night. If it had, they would have woken up damp and irritated.

Instead, they were all well-rested and ready to head out. It was still only 6 in the morning when they woke up, but no one truly cared. They were all too eager with their newfound plan to find Numbuh 1 that how early it was simply factor to them.

"Alright guys," Numbuh 5 said, starting up a pep talk for the group, "first, we need to get back to the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. From there we'll head for the tree house. We'll probably make it there by late afternoon, as long as we don't have any trouble finding the ship. So, you guys ready?"

Everyone nodded excitedly, and they headed off back in the direction they had come from the previous day.

About a half hour into the hike, Numbuh 3, who had been originally walking near Numbuh 2, hurried up to the front where Henrietta and Numbuh 5 were leading them – they were the only ones who knew the geography of the country the best. She cautiously tapped on Numbuh 5's shoulder to get on her attention.

"Hey, what's up Numbuh 3?" Numbuh 5 said, turning her head to face her friend.

"Umm, well, I wanted to…" Numbuh 3 paused a moment. Then, with a little more determination in her voice, "I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. I realize I should have stayed with you, or at least told you where I was going."

Numbuh 5 smiled at her. "That's alright, Kuki. Numbuh 5 knows you meant for the best." She patted her on the shoulder. "Oh, Numbuh 5 almost forgot! Did you happen to lose something yesterday?"

Numbuh 3 nodded. "My left earring. I guess I left it back on the ship or something." She shrugged.

Pulling off her hat and digging around in it, Numbuh 5 said, "Nope. Numbuh 5 found it in a bush, when we were looking for ya yesterday." She pulled out the pink earring she'd found the day before and handed it to her.

"Seriously? Wow, thank you!" She wrapped her friend in a big hug. When she finally released, she carefully put it on her earring-less ear.

"You vere lucky. Ven you lose somezing around 'ere, it is hard to find. Abigail remembers, ja?" said Henrietta, nudging her friend with her elbow.

"The first time Numbuh 5 went to Guatemala with Henie, before the actual pyramid mess, we were just searching for any candy temples in the area," explained Numbuh 5. "And Numbuh 5 ended up losing her favorite pair of earrings, sort of like you."

"End Abigail couldn't find them anyvere! We searched ze vole area, but found nozing. It vas ze funniest zing, somehof zey ended up in ein omelet one morning!" Henrietta burst out laughing. "Eh, vas good times."

"You got that right!" Numbuh 5 said, laughing along. Numbuh 3 soon joined in.

"Aye! What's so funny over there?" shouted Numbuh 4. The girls paused a moment, looked at one another, and laughed even harder.

"Ugh, cruddy girls…" Numbuh 4 muttered under his breath.

Numbuh 2, who was walking next to him, snickered. "And of course, you have your one exception." A blank stare spread across Numbuh 4's face, and Numbuh 2 face palmed himself. "Kuki, duh!"

Numbuh 4's confusion went to shock, and then complete denial. "NO! Nuh uh, no way! I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yeah, right. You _know_ you like her! We all know you do!"

Numbuh 4 crossed his arms. "Say what you want, but I don't like her that way."

Numbuh 2 bent over to whisper in his friend's ear, just low enough the girls couldn't hear him. "That's not what you told _me_ a few years ago, Wally."

_**Flashback 2 Years Ago, Sector V's Tree House**_

"Numbuh 2?"

"Yeah, Numbuh 4?"

"Uh, listen…I uh, I don't think I'm ready to…ya know, tell Kuki yet…"

"What? Why not? Numbuh 4, you've put this off way too long!"

"I...I j-just can't, Hoagie."

"Listen Wally, you know neither of you have much time. You've got 2 months, you need to tell her."

"B-but I can't! I-I just…"

"…"

"Look, I d-don't think I'll be able to t-tell her by then. And I'm…I'm scared, Hoagie, really scared. I don't wanna forget about her."

"…well, what am I supposed to do about it?"

"Do you think…you could-"

"Uh uh, nope, not happening. No way am I telling her for you. You gotta do it yourself!"

"What? That's not what I was gonna say!"

"…oh."

"Like I was saying before…could you, maybe, try to…remember for me?"

"…"

"…"

"I…really don't think that's gonna work."

"W-why not?"

"Well, for one thing, I'm _older _than you, Wally. I'll forget before you do!"

"…"

"Look, you just gotta suck it up and tell her. There isn't any other way."

"But I-"

"No buts, Wally. Ha, get it? 'Butts'?"

"Hoagie, this isn't a time for cruddy puns! I've got a crisis here!"

"Haha…oh, sorry. Just tell her, dude."

"But…but what if she doesn't feel the same? What then?"

"Ugh, you're just making excuses for yourself! You'll never know for sure if you don't just tell her!"

"…I know…"

"Look at me Wally. No, look at _me_, not the floor!"

"…"

"You are going to tell Kuki how you feel, and you're not gonna be afraid. Now you say it."

"_You_ are going to tell Kuki how I feel for me, and I'm going to stand here completely afraid."

"You know, I don't even know why I bother with this crud."

"…no wait! Don't leave, I'm sorry! Just…just help me Hoagie, _please_!"

"…just tell her. That's all I can do to help you."

_**End Flashback**_

Numbuh 4 held his head down, a blush forming on his face.

Numbuh 2 kept his voice at a low whisper, so the others wouldn't overhear. "And you obviously didn't tell her. She'd be all over you right now if you did. And you wouldn't be in denial."

Numbuh 4 stayed quiet.

"You're not planning on telling her anytime soon, are you." It was more of a statement than a question.

Still silent, except for a brief mumble that Numbuh 2 couldn't understand.

"Dude, don't you get it? Fate's giving you another chance! This whole thing, it's like a big flashing sign in your face, it knows you two belong together!"

Numbuh 4 finally looked up. "…who's 'it'?"

His friend shrugged. "I donno, but whoever he is, he knows about this whole thing. So don't mess it up this time!" He playfully slugged Numbuh 4 in the arm, who slugged him back.

It was about 8 in the morning when they finally found the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Since they never doubled back to find anyone – everyone stayed with the group – the time was cut considerably from their first trip. They all took their positions from the day before; Numbuh 5 switched seats so she was only working the tracker system, giving the captain's chair to Henrietta. Numbuh 5, however, remained leader, and was the one giving the directions.

Surprisingly, it barely took any time at all to actually get to the tree house. No one had to remind Numbuh 2 of how to get there, since he still lived in his old house from so many years back. When they finally found the tree house down the street, they parked on Numbuh 1's front lawn and jumped out of the ship.

"So…can we just, ya know, walk in? Or are all those defense things still up?" Numbuh 2 asked to no one in particular.

Numbuh 5 walked over to the trunk of the tree and lifted a piece of bark, which was actually a piece of plywood. "No, Numbuh 5 left it up; she made sure it was on permanently, so you guys wouldn't have to worry about it when you guys got decommissioned." A keypad was hidden under the plywood, and she punched in a code none of the others recognized. A hidden door suddenly swung open next to the keypad, and they all walked inside. As the door shut, a slight movement occurred, and the others, who at this point were slightly confused, realized it was one of the hidden elevators scattered throughout the tree house.

When the elevator door opened, the familiar sight of the main room of the tree house greeted them. Everything was exactly as they had left it: bean bag chairs color coded to match each of them, a soda machine in the corner, the large couch and TV that seemed to be waiting ages for someone to use them.

"Wow, who cleaned up in here?" Numbuh 4 exclaimed. The usual debris of soda cans and candy wrappers was nowhere to be seen.

Numbuh 3 raised her hand shyly. "Guilty. I was a little anxious the week before my…birthday…and I kinda went a little neat freak on the tree house."

Numbuh 5 walked around the tree house, taking everything in. "You ain't kidding, girl. That orange soda spray stain on the ceiling is even gone. How the heck'd ya get up there?"

The girl seemed to contemplate this, and eventually just shrugged. "That week's kinda fuzzy to me. I don't remember much of anything."

Numbuh 2 suddenly ran across the room to the couch, grabbing a video game controller. "Awesome! I haven't played any of these games in years!"

"They're all still there?" Numbuh 4 also ran to the couch, grabbing the other controller in one hand and a video game case in the other.

"Ugh, guys, we aren't here for video games! We need to see if Numbuh 1 is here!" Numbuh 5 growled at them.

"Do you zink 'e's in 'is room?" Henrietta wondered aloud.

Numbuh 5 nodded. "That's a good idea, we'll check there first. And checking downstairs in his actual house wouldn't be a bad idea. Maybe his parents know where he is."

"And we should check the rest of the tree house, too!" Numbuh 3 added.

"Okay, Kuki, you and I will go downstairs and talk to his parents. Wally, check his room up here. Hoagie and Henie, look around the rest of the tree house; see if you can find him or any clues to where he might be."

Everyone nodded and ran off in their appropriate directions.

Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 5 took the elevator back downstairs, then ran over to the front door of Numbuh 1's house and rang the doorbell. Their original plan was to take the elevator connected to his house and just go in from there, but they didn't want to scare Mr. and Mrs. Uno, since none of them had seen each other in years.

The door swung open a moment later. A short, rather large man with brown hair and a mustache stood in the doorway. "Yes, can I help you?"

Numbuh 5 stepped forward a bit. "Uh, yeah, hi Mr. Uno. We're, uh, Nigel's friends."

"Oh, so you are! Oh good to see you girls! Been awhile, hasn't it?" the man said cheerily. His voice had a minor British accent to it.

"Uh huh. Say, is Numb- I mean, Nigel home?"

Mr. Uno scratched his mustache as he thought. "I'm afraid not, girls. Ol' Nigel's been at that preparatory school in England all these years. His mother and I have gotten postcards from him, but that's it. We haven't seen him, sorry." He paused a moment. "Although, we haven't gotten one from him in ages…"

Numbuh 5 felt her heart drop. "Oh, okay. Well, thanks anyways, Mr. Uno."

"Oh, it's no problem. Feel free to drop by anytime you want, girls!" he called as they left, shutting the door behind him.

"Well, we got one good thing out of this," Numbuh 3 said cheerily. Numbuh 5 looked at her, confused.

"What good is this? He's not here!"

"But now we know where he is! He's hiding out in England!"

Numbuh 5 shook her head sadly. "Numbuh 5 wish that were true, Kuki. But he's not."

Now it was Numbuh 3's turn to be confused. "But his dad just said-"

"That was just to cover him," Numbuh 5 interrupted. "After he and Numbuh 1's mom were re-decommissioned, we needed some kind of excuse to give them. So we sent Numbuh 60 to their house to say that Numbuh 1 got invited to a school in England, and that he'd already left. A few operatives were assigned to send fake postcards and letters to his parents, to make it seem more real. I guess after the whole Father thing, they didn't have the time to keep it up." She sighed sadly. "Just another dead end…"

Numbuh 3 hated to see her friend – or any friend, for that matter – upset, so she tried her best to cheer her up. "Well…maybe the others will have better luck! Maybe he snuck back here without his parents knowing, to pick up some technology or something!" She smiled sweetly at Numbuh 5, who couldn't help but smile back. That small chance was enough to bring her spirits up a little bit.

"Ya know, you're probably right. Thanks Kuki."

**Not many lines to translate for this one:**

You vere lucky. Ven you lose somezing around 'ere, it is hard to find. Abigail remembers, ja? **…means…** You were lucky. When you lose something around here, it is hard to find. Abigail remembers, right?

End Abigail couldn't find them anyvere! We searched ze vole area, but found nozing. It vas ze funniest zing, somehof zey ended up in ein omelet one morning! Eh, vas good times. **…means… **And Abigail couldn't find them anywhere! We searched the whole area, but found nothing. It was the funniest thing, somehow they ended up in my omelet one morning! Eh, was good times [or you can just delete the word 'good' and it flows more easily]

Do you zink 'e's in 'is room? **…means…** Do you think he's in his room?

**Next chapter will follow the others, and show what they found in the tree house.**


	10. Chapter 9

Now Loading:

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.

Finding

Indecisive

Nigel

Is

Sure

Hard

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.**

Chapter 9

Numbuh 2 and Henrietta traveled throughout the main levels of the tree house, staying away from the area around Numbuh 1's room – there was no use of wasting time in that section if Numbuh 4 was already there – and the abandoned sections of the tree house. They mainly searched the more likely areas he would have left a clue: the rooms they spent the most time in (such as the room they had been in when they entered the tree house), the hamster power supply room, and anywhere else they could think of.

It had been about a half hour since they split with the others, and still no luck. No sign of a clue was anywhere to be found.

While wandering a hallway, Numbuh 2 suddenly thought of an idea. "Hey, maybe he left something in one of our rooms to find!" he said. Henrietta agreed, and they entered the first bedroom they found.

They suddenly went from hallway to boxing ring, literally. The entire room was surrounded by rope, and scattered around was training equipment and old KND dummy robots. Anyone could tell they hadn't been used in years just by glancing at any of these items; cobwebs acted as cocoons around them, and the wooden parts of the equipment had chewed areas on them, most likely from termites. You could barely call it a bedroom at all; there was a severe lack of a bed, just a simple pillow and small blanket in the corner of the ring.

"Well, it looks like Numbuh 3 never got to Numbuh 4's room," Numbuh 2 commented, kicking an old soda can out of the way.

They searched the entire room, under robots and trash, up in the higher branches of the tree that had grown right through the room itself, and still they couldn't find anything. No note, no unfamiliar technology, nothing of importance to them.

After awhile, Henrietta said sadly, "Ein zinks zere is nozing 'ere, 'oagie. Perhaps ve should check anozer room?"

Numbuh 2 nodded. "Numbuh 3's room is right down the hall; we'll check there next."

It was easy to tell which door led to Numbuh 3's room, because there was no door at all; rather, a colorful curtain hanging from the door frame acted as a door. The room itself, like Numbuh 4's, was exactly as Numbuh 2 remembered it. Stuffed animals wall to wall: bunnies, cats, dogs, Rainbow Monkeys, every stuffed animal you could think of was in this room. And every single one of them had Numbuh 3's signature 3 painted on them somewhere, more often than not on their stomachs. The biggest stuffed toy in the room was placed on the wall opposite the curtain. It was big enough for a kid to sleep on; which was exactly what it was used for: this animal was Numbuh 3's bed.

Unfortunately for the two, despite her room being cleaner than Numbuh 2's, they still found nothing. However, while searching through a pile of animals on one side of the room, Henrietta brought something to Numbuh 2's attention.

"'oagie, Kuki alvays struck me es e, vat's the vord, e 'girly girl'. Ein cen understend ze enimels eweryvere, but ze valls, zey ere zroving me off…" she said, throwing a stuffed bear out of her way.

Numbuh 2 looked around the room more closely, and suddenly realized Henrietta was right. He almost smacked himself in the face for completely missing it when they walked in, it was so obvious.

Everyone had left the walls of their rooms blank, leaving the natural bark of the tree uncolored, unpainted, to keep the tree house paint-smell free, and to keep the tree house actually feeling like a tree house. Numbuh 3 was no exception. But her room now, it was completely painted. And not even a labeled 'girly girl' color, like pink or bright highlighter yellow, one that would match her personality perfectly.

The entire room was a dark, pure orange, so close to black you couldn't believe it was even possible.

Numbuh 2 pulled his aviator hat and scratched his head, looking around the entire room. "Well, this is…weird," he simply said. He could have sworn her room – and all the rooms in the tree house – had been the same when he left on his 13th birthday. He would have definitely remembered seeing the paint cans, or at the very least smelling the disgusting smell coming from her room.

"This makes no sense…when in the world…_why _in the world would she-" he muttered aloud to himself, when suddenly he remembered something from earlier that day.

_I was a little anxious the week before my…birthday…and I kinda went a little neat freak on the tree house._

_That week's kinda fuzzy to me. I don't remember much of anything._

Well, that made sense, for both when and why. She said it herself, she had been anxious the week before her birthday, and went all neat freak. Maybe she found some extra paint lying around, and decided to use it up instead of wasting it – most likely on her own room only, if she wanted the rest of the tree house to stay as she remembered it. Which would explain why no one had noticed or said anything; she would have been the only person in the tree house during that last week.

Henrietta must have noticed he was deep in thought, because she was awkwardly just watching him, apparently waiting for a response of some kind. He told her about his theory, and she agreed it made the most sense. After a few more minutes of searching, they gave up on Numbuh 3's room and decided to move on to Numbuh 5's.

When they got to her bedroom door, Henrietta stopped Numbuh 2 before he could open the door.

"Vait, I zink I should check zis room by ein's self." When Numbuh 2 gave her a suspicious look, she shrugged and continued, "Ein doubt you'd vant to see any of 'er clothes end such. Plus, ein get ze bull's 'orns if Abigail found out."

Numbuh 2 stuck out his tongue. "Fine, anything to avoid more girly stuff." Henrietta nodded and walked in, closing the door behind her. Numbuh 2 slid down to the floor to wait for her. Boredom eventually set in, and with nothing else to do but wait – he was afraid she might get lost by herself if he wasn't there to guide her – he closed his eyes and attempted to take a nap; he didn't get much sleep last night, since he wasn't used to the lack of traffic outside, or the excess of animal noises.

He suddenly woke up to the door slamming, and realized he really had fallen asleep. According to Henrietta, she'd been searching for about 10 minutes, which meant he'd been out about the same amount of time. He quickly scrambled to his feet when he realized whose room was left: his own.

He led the way down the hallways until they came upon the landing dock of the tree house, which doubled as his bedroom. Numbuh 2 smiled at the familiar sights: the crashed plane up near the ceiling that acted as his bed; his desk and tool box over on the side wall; his beloved C.O.O.L.B.U.S., still parked after their last mission and in the same condition as they'd left it. Minus its usual dirt and grime, which he silently thanked Numbuh 3 for cleaning it for him.

He took a deep breath in through his nose. "Ahh…carburetor fuel…good stuff!" Henrietta rolled her eyes playfully at him, and they started their search.

Numbuh 2 climbed up to his bed and searched through the sheets; nothing. Henrietta checked his work desk; nothing but blueprints. They investigated the C.O.O.L.B.U.S., both inside and out; still nothing. Both of them were very discouraged, and had been sure if there were no clues in the other bedrooms, there would be one in his.

Sighing in defeat, Numbuh 2 started to lead them out the door back to the main room of the tree house. Henrietta followed closely behind, eyes peeled for anything they might have missed before. She could find nothing, and was about to completely give up when she heard a small creek. She froze, waiting to see if the sound would come back again; it didn't. She shrugged it off and took another step forward, and the same sound rang through the room, this time a bit louder. Numbuh 2 now noticed the sound as well, and ran over to the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. to see if the engine had turn on or something. Henrietta retraced her steps to the spot where she first heard the noise. And once again, she heard it, and realized it was coming from below her. She hopped back to look down at the floor, thinking it was a toy she was stepping on. However, it was actually a loose floor board. Curious, she knelt down and tugged at one end of the board, which opened smoothly, almost like a small door. She cautiously stuck her hand into the whole beneath, feeling around for something. Her hand hit a hard bottom, which felt like it was lined with paper. Grasping a handful of things, she pulled her hand back up to examine what she'd found: the paper feeling had been letters, envelopes, and photos

At this point, Numbuh 2 walked out of the C.O.O.L.B.U.S., announcing, "Well, it's not the engine. I guess whatever it was is go-. "He spotted Henrietta kneeling on the floor with the envelopes in her hand, and ran over to her. Henrietta held up her discovery to him, and instead of praising her for finding what she believed to be a clue, he grabbed the things from her hand and hid them behind his back, wearing a fake smile on his face. She could see right through it; he was hiding embarrassment, for what reason she couldn't understand.

Standing up and brushing dirt off her pants, Henrietta asked, "Okay, vat's 'oing on 'oagie? Vy ere you 'iding ze pepers?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" he laughed nervously. "I'm not hiding anything!"

Henrietta put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "You zink ein stupid, Gilligan? Vell, for your information, ein not stupid. I know ven ein being lied to, end I don't zink you'll like me ven ein angry."

Numbuh 2 said nothing, and he didn't bring out his hands from behind his back.

"Fine. 'ave it your vay." With that, Henrietta quickly tackled Numbuh 2 to the ground. Despite the size difference – Henrietta was much smaller than him – there was no doubt in either person's mind who would win their little spat. She easily knocked him to the ground and sat on his back, leaving him face down on the hard ground. She grabbed at his hands, and just as quickly as she'd attacked him, she was back on her feet, in her original position.

Numbuh 2 scrambled up, waving his hands in front of her. Smirking, he exclaimed, "Ha! I still have them!"

Henrietta smirked right back at him, and held up a hand. She fanned out 6 photos and papers she had managed to grab from him. "If ein count correctly – end by ze vay, ein knows 'ow to count – I 'old zree more zen you do."

Numbuh 2's face fell.

She smiled sweetly at his obvious defeat, and finally looked closely at the photos and papers in her hands. The photos seemed to have been taken many years ago, for the subjects in the pictures all looked to be about 10 years old, sometimes younger. The papers appeared to be poems. Written with a crude handwriting, with the led from the pencil smeared, but poems none the less. One thing stuck out instantly for Henrietta, one thing that was the same in everything she was holding in her hand.

The photos were all of Numbuh 5, and all the poems were written to her as well.

She glanced up at Numbuh 2 to see his reaction to her discovery. His entire face was pure red, and he was staring at the ground. He didn't even bother to hide the remaining papers in his hands.

"So…zis is vat you vere 'iding? A little shrine to Abigail?"

He rubbed his neck awkwardly, and still did not meet her eyes. "Not so much a shrine…a time capsule, I guess you could call it…"

Henrietta nodded, and looked back down at the papers. She separated one of the poems from the rest, one of the neater ones. "Vould you be emberressed if ein…read it out loud?"

Numbuh 2 shook his head and sighed. "Been so long since I read them myself; it'd be nice to hear what I wrote."

She smiled, and started to read.

_Numbuh 5 by Numbuh 2_

_She's like a kid angel_

_God's sent just for me,_

_We were destined to be friends_

_Since we met at age three._

_Everything about her is perfect_

_Not a flaw I have found._

_I can't seem to escape her,_

_To her I am bound._

_I love her so dearly_

_Though I doubt she can see_

_How I really, truly feel _

_About her, deep inside me._

At this point, Numbuh 2 joined in, reciting his poem from memory. Eventually Henrietta stopped and let him say it himself, herself following along on the paper.

_She's beautiful, she's graceful_

_She's charming and funny._

_She's rough on the outside_

_Yet inside, sweet as honey._

_I wish I could tell her._

_I feel like I fool_

_That I can't tell her I love her_

_She's just way too cool._

_I hope I remember her_

_Long after tonight._

_Losing memory of her_

_Would be like losing my sight._

_Maybe she'll find this_

_Little poem one day,_

_And I'll be very surprised_

_If she feels the same way._

_And remembers way back when_

_We'd do nothing but play._

_The memories of us together,_

_I wish would forever stay._

As he finished the poem, Henrietta suddenly started applauding him. He looked up at her for the first time since the attack, and he saw there were tears in her eyes.

"Zat…zat vas ze most beautiful zing ein ever 'eard…in ein entire life…" she stuttered.

Numbuh 2 blushed even more than before. "It's nothin'…just somethin' I wrote a long time ago, no real big deal."

"Nein! It _is_ a big deal, herr! Do you realize 'ow much she'd love to 'ear zat?" she said excitedly.

His head shot up. "You mean…she _does_…I mean, she _did_…"

Henrietta understood immediately what he meant. "Vell, she never told me e definite ja or nein, but ein knows she'd still love to 'ear it!"

His face fell a little bit; he had gotten his hopes up extremely quickly. "But that's just it. If you, of all people, don't know how she feels either, then what if I show it to her, and she _doesn't_ feel the same way? Then she'll just laugh at me. Everyone will…"

She shook her head quickly. "Nein, nein! Forget ebout everyone else! Even if ze fauline doesn't feel ze vay you do, 'oagie, she'd still love to 'ear somezing you wrote for 'er! Trust me on zis!"

Numbuh 2 shuffled his feet a bit. "I donno…"

"Don't tell me you expect ein to do it for you. That'd be es bad es Vallabee!" Numbuh 2 stared at her. "Like ein said, ein is not stupid, 'oagie. Ein can see 'ow Vallabee feels ebout Kuki. And…" she said, appearing embarrassed, "ein couldn't 'elp over'earing you two earlier today. Ein zinks zis fate person isn't 'ere just for ze two of zem; it's 'ere for you end Abigail, too."

He still said nothing, and just stared at the floor.

"Fine zen, be zat vay." Henrietta shrugged, tossed the poems and photos at Numbuh 2, and turned to leave. Numbuh 2 grabbed the things midair, and watched Henrietta leave, not making any move to follow.

Henrietta paused a moment in the doorway, and with her back still facing him, she said, "You know, like you said to Vallabee, fate vants to give you enozer chance et your love to Abigail. " Though he couldn't see it, she had a smirk on her face as she quoted him from earlier: "Zo don't mess it up zis time!"

**One thing I've probably never mentioned on here to you guys, I absolutely HATE poetry. Don't know why, I just always have. But for reasons I don't even know, I seem to be good at it, because whenever I write one once in a while, everyone who reads it really likes it. I donno, what do you guys think of this one for Numbuh 5? BTW, this is the last poem he wrote before his decommissioning; you can tell, because he specifically says in it he hopes that he can 'remember her/long after this night", this night being his decommissioning night. He's saying he hopes he remembers her after his memory is erased.**

**Henrietta translations:**

"Ein zinks zere is nozing 'ere, 'oagie. Perhaps ve should check anozer room?" **…means… **I think there is nothing here, Hoagie. Perhaps we should check another room?

"'oagie, Kuki alvays struck me es e, vat's the vord, e 'girly girl'. Ein cen understend ze enimels eweryvere, but ze valls, zey ere zroving me off…" **…means…** Hoagie, Kuki always struck me as a, what's the word, a 'girly girl'. I can understand the animals everywhere, but the walls, they're throwing me off…

"Vait, I zink I should check zis room by ein's self. Ein doubt you'd vant to see any of 'er clothes end such. Plus, ein get ze bull's 'orns if Abigail found out." **…means… **Wait, I think I should check this room by myself. I doubt you'd want to see any of her clothes and such. Plus, I'd get the bull's horns [get angry at her] if Abigail found out.

"Okay, vat's 'oing on 'oagie? Vy ere you 'iding ze pepers?" **…means… **Okay, what's going on Hoagie? Why are you hiding the papers?

"You zink ein stupid, Gilligan? Vell, for your information, ein not stupid. I know ven ein being lied to, end I don't zink you'll like me ven ein angry." **…means…** You think I'm stupid, Gilligan? Well, for your information, I'm not stupid. I know when I'm being lied to, and I don't think you'll like me when I'm angry.

"Fine. 'ave it your vay." **…means…** Fine. Have it your way.

"If ein count correctly – end by ze vay, ein knows 'ow to count – I 'old zree more zen you do." **…means…** If I count[ed] correctly – and by the way, I know how to count – I hold three more than you do.

"So…zis is vat you vere 'iding? A little shrine to Abigail?" **…means…** So…this is what you were hiding? A little shrine to Abigail?

"Vould you be emberressed if ein…read it out loud?" **…means…** Would you be embarrassed if I…read it out loud?

"Zat…zat vas ze most beautiful zing ein ever 'eard…in ein entire life…" **…means…** That…that was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard…in my entire life…

"Nein! It _is_ a big deal, herr! Do you realize 'ow much she'd love to 'ear zat?" **…means…** No! It _is_ a big deal, sir! [herr is used out of respect, like frauline] Do you realize how much she'd love to hear that?

"Vell, she never told me e definite ja or nein, but ein knows she'd still love to 'ear it!" **…means…** Well, she never told me a definite yes or no, but I know she'd still love to hear it!

"Don't tell me you expect ein to do it for you. That'd be es bad es Vallabee! Like ein said, ein is not stupid, 'oagie. Ein can see 'ow Vallabee feels ebout Kuki. And…ein couldn't 'elp over'earing you two earlier today. Ein zinks zis fate person isn't 'ere just for ze two of zem; it's 'ere for you end Abigail, too." **…means…** Don't tell me you expect me to do it for you. That'd be as bad as Wallabee! Like I said, I'm not stupid, Hoagie. I can see how Wallabee feels about Kuki. And…I couldn't help overhearing you two earlier today. I think this fate person isn't here just for the two of them; it's here for you and Abigail, too.

"Fine zen, be zat vay." **…means…** Fine then, be that way.

"You know, like you said to Vallabee, fate vants to give you enozer chance et your love to Abigail. Zo don't mess it up zis time!" **…means…** You know, like you said to Wallabee, fate wants to give you another chance at your love to Abigail. So don't mess it up this time! - probably my fave line in this chapter; she's making Hoagie eat his own words v


	11. Chapter 10

Now Loading:

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.

Finding

Indecisive

Nigel

Is

Sure

Hard

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.**

Chapter 10 (NI)

Numbuh 4 was completely stumped.

He had been searching Numbuh 1's room for ages, and still couldn't find anything. Which it didn't help the fact that he didn't even know what a clue would have looked like.

"Geeze, if Numbuh 1 wanted us to find the cruddy clue, he shoulda put it in plain sight!" Numbuh 4 mumbled to himself, kicking a pillow out of his way. He pulled out his communicator for the millionth time, hoping someone had found something, mostly so he could stop looking himself.

The communicator, as it had been every time he pulled it out of his pocket to check, was still blank.

"Ugh…won't someone just FIND SOMETHING ALREADY?" he yelled at it, stuffing it back into his pocket.

Having nothing else to do, Numbuh 4 continued searching through Numbuh 1's things for a sign of…well, anything unusual. Again, he wasn't really sure what he was actually looking for, just something Numbuh 1 would leave behind for them.

"Cruddy Nigel with his cruddy clues..." he kicked another pillow out of his way. "Cruddy pillows, cruddy everything!" Fed up with his search that came up with no results, he considered leaving the room and going back to where they started, and wait for the others to show up. He was about to do just that when something caught his eye: a piece of paper sticking out of the pillow he just kicked.

"Hmm, maybe THIS is the clue thing…" Numbuh 4 mumbled, picking up the piece of paper. It looked like it had been ripped from a notepad, and had writing on it in black ink.

_My dear friends,_

_I cannot say much here, it is against the rules in the GKND. Use this list to help you. I hope to see you soon._

_- Nigel_

_-GUATEMALA- _

_-HOME- _

_-TOKYO- _

_-PARIS- _

_-SYDNEY-_

_DELIGHTFUL MANSION?_

Numbuh 4 whipped out his communicator once again. "GUYS, I THINK I FOUND SOMETHING!"

"So, what's it mean?" Numbuh 2 asked to no one in particular.

They were all gathered back in the first room, pondering over the note Numbuh 4 had found. For the last 10 minutes, they all had been pondering exactly what Numbuh 2 had asked: what _did_ the note mean?

"Well…Numbuh 5 thinks something's up with the locations he's set. Guatemala we just came back from, we're at our old home now…" No one corrected her; to them, even though Numbuh 1 had been the only one of their team to actually live here, they all thought of the tree house as their home away from home.

"And what about the others? What's makes them so important that he'd mention them?"

"Is zere any importance in zose places? 'ave you all lived vere before, per'aps?" Henrietta pondered.

Numbuh 5 shook her head. "Numbuh 5's only lived here in the US and in France, that's all."

"Same here," added Numbuh 3. "Only, I've lived in _Japan_ and the US, not France."

Numbuh 5 suddenly looked up excited. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Numbuh 4 asked.

"Think about it! Wally, where did you live before the KND?"

"Australia."

"Right! And where did you go after the KND?"

"Back to Australia."

"Right again! The same goes for Kuki, but replace Australia with Japan! And I moved to France after the KND!"

"So, what you're saying is, he's going to all our hometowns?" Numbuh 2 cut in.

"Bingo!" Numbuh 5 smiled. "That's probably why he started here after Guatemala, so my hunch was right!"

"But vat are ve supposed to do vith vis information?" Henie thought aloud.

Numbuh 5 started pacing the room absentmindedly. "Well…the places he crossed off, it seems he's already been there. And the only one _not_ crossed off is…?"

"The Delightful Mansion," Numbuh 4 read from the note.

"So, we can either go check each location individually, or go straight to the mansion."

"I say we go straight to the mansion, I mean, it's right here, we don't have to travel very far," Numbuh 2 said.

"Yeah," Numbuh 4 added, "the faster we find him, the better, right? That's the whole point of this mission."

Numbuh 3 looked doubtful. "Then again, what if he put the locations there for a different purpose? He had to have _some_ reason to go everywhere. Like…maybe he left stuff there for us to find!"

"Numbuh 3 'as a point, iz like a scevenger 'unt. Maybe ve need to go to each locasion und get somezing, und zen go to ze mansion," Henrietta said.

"Well…that makes two votes mansion, two votes…well, everywhere else. It's tied."

Everyone looked expectantly at Numbuh 5.

"Wha- oh no, Numbuh 5 ain't deciding. I ain't leader, and I'm not getting on anyone's bad side."

"So what, we pick straws or somethin'?" Numbuh 4 asked. Everyone else shrugged. No one was really sure how to decide, so something as simple as drawing straws seemed fine with them.

"'kay, I'll go get some straws!" Numbuh 2 declared, running out of the room to find some.

"So ve just…pick eh straw?" Henie asked doubtfully.

"Yeah!" said Numbuh 3. "Just pick one and take it from the bunch. Whoever's straw is shortest wins."

Numbuh 5 grabbed the four straws and held them in her hand, reached out so everyone could reach.

"So if, let's say, Numbuh 2's straw was shortest, we'd go straight to the mansion. But if, say, you're straw is shortest, we'd check all the locations," Numbuh 3 concluded.

"You guys just gotta promise you won't be mad if your idea loses. Numbuh 5 doesn't want any bad blood between us," Numbuh 5 warned them. Then thinking as an afterthought, "_At this point, bad blood could mean the difference between winning and losing this war_…"

"Pfft, like some stupid straws are gonna tear us apart!" Numbuh 4 said, grabbing a straw.

Numbuh 2 followed suit, laughing. "Hey Numbuh 5, remember the last time we drew straws?"

_**Flashback 5 years ago, Gallegher Elementary Playground**_

One sunny afternoon during recess at Gallegher Elementary, Numbuh 4 was pushing Numbuh 3 on the swings. From across the playground, Numbuh 2 pointed out the scene to Numbuh 5.

"Heh, he denies it so much, yet he's not making any effort to prove us wrong, huh?" Numbuh 5 laughed.

Numbuh 2 nodded. "I don't see why he doesn't just tell her. You can see it, it's practically killing him."

"Yeah, like Numbuh 3 would actually shoot him down. Maybe be a little naïve in the beginning, but once she'd get it, she'd probably be ecstatic."

"…does she…?"

Numbuh 5 shook her head. "Hasn't said anything to Numbuh 5. Looks like she just wants to keep us in the dark."

"Or she really _is_ that naïve."

"Nah…she's smarter than we're giving her credit for. The naivety is just cuz she wants everything to be…okay, ya know? If she fools herself into thinking something isn't happening, it goes away."

"So maybe she doesn't feel the same way…"

"Or just wants things to stay the same. I donno."

"…"

"…Numbuh 5 says she'll tell him before he can tell her."

"Yeah right, Wally will get over his fear soon enough, he'll tell her first."

"Put it to the straw test?"

Numbuh 2 nodded. "Put it to the straw test."

Quickly checking her pockets, Numbuh 5 declared she had no straws on her. Numbuh 2 did the same and came up with the same result.

"…stick test then?"

"Stick test."

They quickly grabbed a couple twigs lying in the ground, taking one and snapping the end so it was slightly shorter than the other. Numbuh 5 took one in each hand and hid them behind her back, shuffling them back and forth as she said, "Okay, pick left or right."

"And whoever has shorter is right?"

"Yep. So choose."

Numbuh 2 chose the right.

"Alright then," Numbuh 5 said, handing over his chosen twig. She paused a moment before holding out the other to compare. "Do you care who wins?"

"Nah, it's just for fun. I really doubt sticks can decide someone's relationship anyways."

"Yeah you're right, s'not like they're sunflowers or anything!"

"Plus either way, they get together, so it's win-win."

"Huh, good point."

With that, Numbuh 5 held out the other twig, and they compared their lengths.

_**End Flashback**_

"Heh, yeah Numbuh 5 remembers."

"And neither of them actually came true…" he said, examining his straw.

"_Yet_, Hoagie. Ya never know…"

Numbuh 4 looked at the two of them strangely. "What are you two going on about?"

Numbuh 5 shook her head at him. "It's nothing, Wally. So, does everyone have their straw?"

"I've got mine!" Numbuh 3 exclaimed.

"I've got one es vell," Henie added.

"Alright then, everyone compare straws," said Numbuh 5. "Girl has the shortest, we check out all the locations. Boy has the shortest, we go straight for the Delightful Mansion."

Holding out all their straws, the four of them compared how long each one was to the other. One was easily declared the shortest.

"Hey, I win!" Numbuh 3 announced, holding her straw in the air. It was indeed shorter than all the others.

"Great, we got a road trip ahead of us…" Numbuh 4 mumbled, chewing on his own straw.

"Do ve 'ave enough fuel for zat long a trip?" asked Henrietta.

Numbuh 2 nodded. "As long as we don't have any unforeseen side trips, we should be good."

"…you do realize how much of a cliché movie plot that sounds like, right?" Numbuh 5 pointed out.

"All the more reason to say it, Abby," Numbuh 2 said brightly. "All the more reason to say it."

**Sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER. Summer coming around, and then starting school yesterday, plus a whole lot of drama…ugh it's been hectic. But I'm NOT giving up on this story, I assure you. What I AM slightly ending is the illustrations on DeviantART. Instead of every chapter having a picture, every two or three chapters will have pictures (I can update stories faster that way). This chapter, for instance, is a no-illustration, or NI. Any chapters from now on marked as NI at the beginning (next to the chapter number) means there is no accompanying pic, so don't go crazy looking for it.**

**And btw, in Nigel's letter all of the locations (except the mansion) should be crossed out. Unfortunitly, FF won't let me.**

**Henrietta Accent Translations (btw, if you guys can generally understand what she's saying, let me know; translations also eat up a lot of time).**

Is zere any importance in zose places? 'ave you all lived vere before, per'aps? **means **Is there any importance in those places? Have you all lived there before, perhaps?

But vat are ve supposed to do vith vis information? **means** But what are we supposed to do with this information?

Numbuh 3 'as a point, iz like a scevenger 'unt. Maybe ve need to go to each locasion und get somezing, und zen go to ze mansion **means **Numbuh 3 has a point, it's like a scavenger hunt. Maybe we need to go to each location and get something, and then go to the mansion

So ve just…pick eh straw? **means **So we just…pick a straw?

I've got one es vell **means** I've got one as well

Do ve 'ave enough fuel for zat long a trip? **means** Do we have enough fuel for that long a trip?


	12. Chapter 11

Now Loading:

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.

Finding

Indecisive

Nigel

Is

Sure

Hard

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.**

Chapter 11 (NI)

Numbuh 539, as she often did when she was stressed, was pacing her office.

In the past few days, 10 more recomissioned operatives were taken POW by the Teen Ninja forces.

In the past few days, 2 search-and-rescue squads were deployed to retrieve them. All but 2 were recovered.

In the past few days, random street wars between the two armies had increased throughout the nation, those uninvolved none the wiser.

In the past few days, 27 operatives were sent to the medical wing for a number of reasons: 12 broken arms, 9 broken legs, 4 dislocated miscellaneous bones, and 2 cases of shock and minor wartime insanity.

In the past few days, her fellow spies and previous commanders were running daily searches for Numbuhs Infinity, 362, 74.239, 1, and Chad Dickson all over the country.

In the past few days, her second-in-command and closest childhood friend Numbuh 794 was among those sent out.

In the past few days…nothing was looking up for the Kid Army.

She sighed. Being leader of the losing side was never easy. Unless you could magically pull a miracle out of thin air, you're pretty much done for. And Numbuh 539 had been waiting for that miracle since Father first attacked, since the KND way of life had first been threatened.

Ever since the previous Sector V had been deployed to find Numbuh 1, she'd done almost nothing. Sure, she'd overviewed weapon prepping and made sure outgoing teams were prepared, but other than that, she'd had no voice in the war. It worried her; the past month, ever since she'd started assembling their forces, she'd been bugged to death about this and that, never a moment to herself. Now…

She needed somebody to talk to. War-related or not, she needed another human being to vent to. Venting to yourself, not so useful. It's pretty much just thinking, and she needed to do anything at this point than think.

Reaching up, Numbuh 539 removed the large green bow atop her head, the same one she'd had ever since she could remember, maybe even sooner. She pulled on a flap and her communicator became visible. Well, that feature hadn't been around the whole time, added not very long before her spy days. She dialed a number and waited.

"Numbuh 512, 2x4 tech weapons leaduh; talk to me," a voice finally said.

"Zoe?"

"…Boss? Hey, haven't talked to ya in forever!"

"Heh, wartime does that to ya. You busy?"

"Just finished a new supply of FIZZBOMB-X, whatcha need?"

"An ear…"

"…okay, I'll be right there. Your office?"

"Main bridge, I'm sick of this office."

"Gotcha, over and out."

The communicator died out, and she placed it back on her head.

"You doing alright, Boss?" Numbuh 512 asked, seeing the weary look on her friend's face.

The two of them were on the main bridge of the Moon Base. Normally this bridge would be the hub of activity, but wartime and lack of space on this particular bridge forced weapon prepping and strategical battle plans to move to the whisby deck, to the severe annoyance of many. So the main bridge remained empty, the second meeting point for commanders to discuss things in private (the first being Numbuh 539's office).

"I wish…and don't call me 'boss', Zoe, it's annoying enough with 50 some people calling me that every day."

"Pfft, I know what you mean," she replied, leaning against the railing. "No one's called me by my numbuh in ages. It's always "leaduh ma'am"."

"Makes ya feel like one of those business people."

"Amen to that."

Numbuh 539 sighed. "It's weird…I'm not exactly depressed about the whole war, but…I'm not feeling all that great either."

Shrugging, Numbuh 512 said, "You gotta figure, you've never actually been in wartime before, so of course you're gonna be confused."

"_You _don't seem to be going insane, you seen this kinda thing before?"

She was silent for a moment. "Let's just say…my childhood wasn't the easiest."

Giving her a quick hug, Numbuh 539 replied, "S'okay girl, I know…"

They stayed quiet for a while, just enjoying the silence for once. Without a million clueless operatives running around and asking questions, it almost seemed peaceful. As peaceful as wartime can be, anyways.

But silence can get maddening after a while, and the whole reason Numbuh 539 wanted to be here with her was to talk, not think.

Surprisingly, she wasn't the one to break the silence. "How you been holding up with all the crud lately?" Numbuh 512 asked.

"Hmm? Oh, it's been hard…I mean, so many people already in the hospital wing, plus everyone off looking for Numbuh 1 and the Invisibles." 'The Invisibles' was a codename between the commanders of the different sectors of war prep, referring to missing operatives of interest like Numbuh Infinity, who'd been missing since the failed "You Don't Mess With Us, We Don't Mess With You Treaty" 5 years ago.

"Oi, they better find them quick. Longer it takes, less people we got for the grand finale."

"Yeah…man, I wish Luke was around, haven't seen him in days…"

Numbuh 512 looked at her strangely. "He's right downstairs ya know, you coulda just went to talk to him."

"What?" She was absolutely shocked at this information. "I thought he was on a search mission for 1!"

"No, he hasn't been on one since…well I don't think he's _ever_ been on one…"

"B-but he said…"

They suddenly heard what sounded like a door opening on the opposite side of the bridge.

"Yo!" Numbuh 512 yelled over. "Private meeting, go find another commander!"

"Find a commander? I don't think _I_ need to find a commander, Zoe," the new arrival called back.

"Oh, it's just you Luke," she replied, realizing it was Numbuh 794.

He ran over to where they were, smirking. "Yeah, that's exactly what every guy wants to hear, thanks."

"Ahem?" Numbuh 539 cleared her throat noisily.

Numbuh 794's smirk faded. "Oh, Lexi. Hey…"

"'Hey'? Why'd you freakin' tell me you were gonna be out on a mission when you weren't?"

He held up his hands defensively. "Okay okay, calm down, you're getting hyped up again."

"I told you, telling me to calm down DOESN'T. WORK. And whatever happened to no lies, no secrets?" It was obvious her temper was quickly shortening, as it often did whenever he did or said something stupid.

"I've got a perfect explanation this time, swear it."

"Like I haven't heard THAT before…"

Numbuh 512 shook her head. "If you two are going at it again, I'm gonna go pack up some more M.A.R.B.L.E.s or something."

"No it's fine Zoe, it'll only take a minute," Numbuh 794 assured her.

"It's NOT fine! You lied to me! What if there had been an emergency or something, and I sent out a team to go find you and they got lost or something?"

"Hey, I had a priority to cover first, not lying woulda messed everything up."

"_Esta loco, _priority!" Numbuh 539 yelled back, her Spanish roots showing up in her anger. "Your friends and family, and now your position as leaduh, _those_ are your priorities, _idiota_!"

"And who said it wasn't because of one of those things?"

"Well let's see, obviously not friends cuz you lied to me. Our families are on 'vacations' and you don't need to pretend you're not here to deal with that, plus Justin's probably out with the other spies. And how lying could help out our side, well, _no tiene sentido_!"

"Look, even if I told you, you probably wouldn't get it cuz you're so riled up," he said simply, unwavered by her anger. He'd delt many a time with her temper; since their Cadets Next Door days, something would happen to infuriate her, and he was usually the cause.

"_Mi dios,_ just tell me!" she exclaimed, throwing up her hands in frustration.

He sighed. "I figured, I could take over your leaduh stuff –writing out plans, overseeing battle training, that kinda stuff – so you'd get a break."

_That_ definitely wasn't expected.

"I've been watching you this past month," he continued, "go from practically care-free all the time to downright stressed out. This war is getting to you, Lex. You needed a break for once."

Numbuh 539 was utterly speechless. Normally, this wasn't how one of their little spouts went; usually they'd just start arguing, then yelling, ignoring each other for about an hour, then freak out that they'd gone too far and make up. Never had either had a legitimate reason for what they'd done wrong. Odd, as far as best friend relationships go, but it worked well enough for them. They'd been best friends since they met, and didn't look like they were ever _not_ going to be.

"If I woulda told you I was still here, you'd complain that it's your responsibility and I shouldn't and all this crud I woulda just tuned out anyways. Besides, I was gonna tell you in a couple more days."

Numbuh 539 stood there silent for a moment. Then she smiled. "Looks like you really _do_ know me as well as I know _you_."

"So…am I forgiven?" He already knew the answer before she even said it.

"Course ya are. Ya know, the job isn't that bad…I've actually gone insane _not_ doing anything." She smirked. "How you ever managed all that crud the past few days, I'll never understand."

Numbuh 794 smiled back, and held out his arms. "Celebratory 'end of fight' hug?"

Another part of their little spat tradition, the only real positive part.

"Wouldn't be an argument without it," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "Thanks, by the way…" she said more quietly. "I really do appreciate it."

"Heh, no prob Boss."

"Ugh…no more 'boss', please?"

Numbuh 794 laughed.

So the two of them were just standing there, having their regular hug, when Numbuh 512 snickered and said, "So, should I leave you two lovebirds alone?"

Embarrassed, the two of them jumped apart, rubbing their necks awkwardly. Another part of the tradition: Numbuh 512 cracking relationship jokes, though she very well knew they were friends, that's all. Still, neither could help blushing whenever she said one.

"Common Zoe, can't ya just lay off once and a while?" Numbuh 539 whined. It felt good to whine for once.

"Hey, it's not like I'm Numbuh 2 where I can crack a random joke at will. I stick with one topic, and make sure they're actually funny."

"Ugh, just like old times, huh?" Numbuh 794 laughed again.

And it was just like old times, long before any of this crud had ever affected them, before what would be known as The War in future times had even become a thought. When it never existed.


	13. Chapter 12

Now Loading:

Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.

Finding

Indecisive

Nigel

Is

Sure

Hard

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.**

Chapter 12

"If we're traveling all over the world," Numbuh 5 told the others, "we're gonna need a lot more supplies than what Numbuh 539 gave us."

Numbuh 2 nodded, but asked, "How long you think we're gonna be gone?"

They were all gathered in the kitchen, their supplies spread across the table. It wasn't much, only the essentials for about 3 days of searching.

4 Birthday Suits

4 bags of M.A.R.B.L.E.s, 15 count each

4 communicators/flare guns

2 flashlights

8 F.I.Z.Z.B.O.M.-X.'s

2 of the B.A.J.O.O.K.A.-type weapons (according to a slip of paper, they were apparently called S.H.U.F.F.U.L.L.s)

***Teens Next Door: S.H.U.F.F.U.L.L.

Song Hauling Universal Firearm Fully Utilizes Losers' Losability***

Enough rations for 4 people

6 boxes of Gummy Worms

1 12-pack of soda

2 standard world maps

Numbuh 5 thought for a moment, then said, "Figure at least a day or two per city, and no matter what a day worth of traveling from the last place to the mansion."

"This definitely won't hold us over that long then."

Numbuh 3 opened up a few cabinets, and immediately started coughing from the dust. "Eww, looks like I missed a spot!" When the dust cloud subsided, she reached in and pulled out a few boxes and containers and placed them on the counter. "We've got some extra food at least."

They all eyed the food warily. Picking up a box and reading, Numbuh 4 exclaimed, "These Rainbow Munchies are over 2 years old! They're probably all rotted by now!"

She turned her head to the side. "Cereal rots?"

"Umm…I donno…"

"I thought only fruit can rot," Numbuh 2 pondered.

"No vait, I zink spinech rots!" Henie added.

Numbuh 5 shook her head in frustration. "Alright can we forget about the aging process of food and focus? Numbuh 3, dump some cereal on a plate and see if it's alright to eat."

Grabbing a plate, Numbuh 3 did as she said. After close inspection of some flakes, she announced, "No rot!"

"Well that's good, we've got some extra food. I guess we can scrap together some cash and just eat out if we run outta stuff."

"But is that it? I mean, there's nothing more we can actually get to help us out," Numbuh 2 pointed out. "We've got maps and plenty of fuel, we're good on weapons; is there anything we're missing?"

Numbuh 5 thought long and hard about this. _Were_ they missing something? Or did they have everything they'd need? What if they packed too much and the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. couldn't support them? What if they packed too little and ran out of supplies? What if…

No. 'What if…'s just caused problems. You had to trust your gut, go by instincts; they'd all been taught this many times in the Academy.

"No," she said finally. "I think that's it."

"Well, then I guess we're leaving," Numbuh 2 said.

"I zink…" Henrietta said, "zat you four should go on vithout me."

Everyone just blinked.

"W-why?" Numbuh 3 asked blankly.

"Vell…I feel zis is your business, not ein own. Nigel is your friend, end ein zink you're all closer to 'im than I ever vas."

"But Henie-" Numbuh 5 started to protest. Henrietta held up a hand.

"No Abigail. We've 'ad our fun, end ein loved seeing you again after so long. But fun time is ova, end you all must find Nigel."

They all stood in silence for a moment, not really sure how to respond.

"Well…if you really feel that way…"

"Ein zink it's for ze best," Henie said firmly.

Not long after, the five were crowded around the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., most of the supplies already loaded inside.

"Is there any specific place you want us to drop you off, Henrietta?" Numbuh 2 asked, loading in one of the last few boxes.

She thought for a moment. "…ein zink you said you vere going to France, ja?"

"Yeah, it says 'Paris' on the note thing," Numbuh 4 replied, checking the page.

"You can just drop me off zere, ein got a few 'ints from ozer 'unters zat zere's some 'idden candy in zat area."

Numbuh 4 scratched his head. "Umm…I'm not sure I completely understand…"

"Ugh…she said she got hints from other candy hunters that there's hidden candy in France," Numbuh 5 translated. "I thought by now you could get around her accent."

"Hey, I ain't good with accents!"

"But you've got one yourself," Numbuh 3 pointed out.

"Not the point…"

"The POINT is," Numbuh 5 interrupted, "we've gotta get a move-on if we're gonna get to all these places before Father gets the upperhand."

The others nodded. Numbuh 2 loaded in the last box and announced, "Alright then, we're all set."

They all piled into the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., Numbuhs 2-5 taking their respective positions at the controls, Henrietta somewhat roaming about the ship. Numbuh 2 roared up the engines, and within moments they were high up in the skies set for France.

Numbuh 2 grabbed the speaker on the dashboard and announced, "Okay passengers, you are free to roam the cabin, and thank you for choosing to fly Air Hoagie," laughing at his own corny joke. The others just groaned.

Henrietta wandered over to Numbuh 2's chair in the front of the ship and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Don't forget vat ein said, 'oagie," she whispered to him.

"Uh…"

"…you forgot, ja?"

"…yeah…"

Henie rolled her eyes. "Fine zen, forget ein ever said anyzing. Live your life vondering vat could 'ave been," she said, walking away with a smile on her face.

"W-WAIT NO!"

_Oh, ze power of reverse psychology _Henie thought to herself, turning back to Numbuh 2, who looked like a lost little puppy.

"…help me?"

Henie smirked. "And just 'ow am ein supposed to do zat?"

Shrugging, he muttered, "I donno…"

"Is very simple, 'oagie. You tell ze frauline yourself. No one else should."

"B-but I CAN'T say it…common, you tell her FOR me! She finds out, I'm spared the embarrassing moment, we're all happy!"

She shook her head. "Zink about it, vich vould mean more to 'er, finding out from ze person who actually likes 'er, or finding out in one of zose 'e said she said moments, hmm?"

As Hoagie opened his mouth to answer, she added, "'e said she said moments don't alvays vork, you do know zat, ja?"

He just stared at his hands. "…b-but…"

"Nein buts! You are going to tell Abigail vether you like it or not, ein vill make sure of it!" she threatened, her voice full of confidence.

There was obviously no way out of this. It was impossible to escape Henrietta Von Marzipan's plans once she got her head around them, she was too stubborn to let it go, and would _never_ let it go until she got the results she was looking for.

"…f-fine…but…"

Henie raised an eyebrow. "…but…?"

"Not now…later. It's…it's too crowded for that kinda thing…"

She nodded understandingly. "No, of course not 'ere. It needs to be…eh, somevere more…romantic. Memorable. A dinky old ship isn't going to cut it."

"Hey, respect the ship girl!" he teased. "It's not THAT old!" To try and prove his point, he banged his fist against the dashboard. They heard some clanging, and a loose bolt flew out of the control panel hitting Numbuh 4 in the head.

"Watch it over there!" he growled, grabbing the bolt and hurling it back at Numbuh 2. Henrietta reached over and grabbed in midair.

"So," she said, smirking once again, "It's not ZAT old?"


End file.
